Intertwined Fates
by Matt Morwell
Summary: AU. Book 2 of 4. A troubled young man's life is changed when he finds an ancient relic that was not supposed to survive. It brings both a gift and an omen...
1. Dawn

**_Intertwined Fates_**

_by Matt Morwell_

_-------_

_Author's Note: This is the sequel to **Shielded Destiny**, and if you haven't read that story yet, I encourage you to do so, as it has several key elements you will miss otherwise. As with **SD**, this is an Alternate Universe story whose focus is on original characters, and it's based on an eclectic assortment of Yu-Gi-Oh! lore, ranging across all spectra. I'm putting a great amount of effort into this story, so I hope you will give it (and **SD**) a chance, and I also hope you will enjoy what I've put together thus far._

_Warning: This story incorporates strong language and some drug usage. I do not endorse either one, but they are both necessary for the purposes of these first few chapters._

_-------_

_Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt-zzzt...!  
_A hand swept through the air and violently smacked the top of the alarm clock; the machine was knocked off the bedside table, and its short power cord was yanked out of the wall from the force of its fall. The abused machine became silent. 

A groan emanated from under the dark covers of the bed, and an unnaturally dark-haired head poked up from under them to glance around the room. The face attached to the head scrunched up in annoyance. _Damn, I'm still alive. That's six thousand, five hundred nine days in a row now._

The covers were thrown aside and carelessly discarded to the floor, revealing a long, wiry body clad in black shorts and muscle shirt. When people got to know him long enough, they tended to decide he was either color-blind or simply didn't care much for any sort of lively clothing. In his drawers, you would find black shirts, black pants, and black socks. Not a single color other than black would a person find... except maybe the darkest shade of blue, and that happened to be a pair of boxers. And then you would find yourself in a world of trouble when -- God forbid -- he saw you picking through his underwear drawer. 

"Lay off my damned underwear drawer," he would say. And then he would hit you. Hard. 

It was never a question, when he hit someone, of whether the victim actually deserved the hit or not. At least, not in his mind, it wasn't. He hit people because he felt like it, whenever he felt like it. He'd had his share of officers come to the door and warn him that assault and battery was a crime. 

This almost amused him. _Of course, I never hit people with a battery. I wonder what would happen if I did. Assault and battery with battery? Better yet, assault and battery with an assault rifle... on which a battery-powered flashlight rests!_

__There was a knock at the door. His eyes narrowed. _Damn it._

"Kyle? Are you awake yet?" 

"No, Ma, I'm snoring my ass off. You should come in and see. I look like an old man. I've got no ass at all." 

"Kyle! How many times have I told you not to use obscenities in this household?" 

He laughed mirthlessly. "Saying it's not doing any damned good." 

"Kyle!" the voice squealed angrily. "We just got a call from the school. You missed class again yesterday?" 

"Had better places to be," he responded simply. He took his time in choosing his clothing for the day. Really, he didn't need to bother. It all looked the same and was all equally uncomfortable. No one would dare steal the stuff. 

The door swung open at this, and he found himself confronted by a very disapproving blond woman in a business suit. She glared at him. "The comments on your midterm report are bad enough as it is. We don't need -- Kyle!" She immediately turned away from him. 

He grinned, his shorts and boxers now around his ankles. "Well, then, dammit, Ma, don't barge in on me like that. I'm never dressed before 7:15, you know that. It's only 7:05." 

She harrumphed. "Well, it's certainly nothing I haven't seen before. I hope you're more modest than this in the classroom." 

"Hm! That's something I haven't tried." 

"Kyle!" 

He crossed his arms; apparently he wasn't planning on hiking his shorts back up. "Hey, besides, you saw it plenty when you were spanking me, right? I'd keep turning over so Dad wouldn't belt it. Helluva lotta good that did me, huh?" 

"Frankly, you could use a spanking right about now," she hissed. "You're acting so childish, Kyle." 

"Aww! Mommy, you're makin' me cwy!" Kyle mockingly rubbed his eyes. "My ass hurts! Make it feew bwetter an' kiss it!" He turned around and bent over in front of her. 

_WHAP!_

__"Ow! Damn it!" Kyle shot upright, twisted around, and glared at his mother, who was now blowing on her hand in an attempt to alleviate the burning sensation that had accompanied the force of the slap. 

"That's what you get for being vulgar," she scolded. "By all rights, you deserve more, but I really don't have the time to deal with it now. Get dressed. Your father will make sure you get to school on time." 

She turned heel and left Kyle standing there, rubbing his rear end. He grumbled as he pulled his shorts back up. "Ow... ow-ow-ow... it's the rare baboon..." 

He rolled his eyes as he began to dig for clothing. _Yep... this is definitely one of my better days._  
------- 

Kyle tried as hard as he could to feign sleep. His head was lolling to one side, his eyes were closed and shifting around, his mouth was half-open... he had even faked a couple of guys out once into believing he was dead. He found it worth the effort to see the looks on their faces when he'd abruptly grabbed their wrists. 

His father wasn't buying it. The man let out a loud sigh. "Kyle, why do you have to do this? Do you have some innate desire to just throw it all into the toilet?" 

_I've put enough cherry bombs in toilets to last several flushes! _Kyle thought cheerfully, recalling his 8th grade year. Oh, that had been something... that teacher's clothing had been entirely soaked. 

He rocked his head toward the driver's side, but snapped out of it when his father gave his head a rude shove back to the other side. "Hey! Lay off my damned head." 

"Kyle," his father said sternly. "I don't know where you got the impression that you're being even remotely funny with the sleeping act, but it, like so many others, is wearing your mother and I thin." 

"'Your mother and _me_', dammit," Kyle growled. "Get your damned vocabulary straightened out." 

His father glared at him. "Your reputation for vocabulary is only a liability when you insist on cursing the way you do." 

"Well, what the hell're you gonna do about it?" Kyle smirked. "Show my ass your belt buckle again? My ass misses your belt so much, y'know... they got to be such good friends! What happened?" 

"Shut your mouth." 

Kyle rolled his eyes at the order, but nevertheless complied and lightly banged his head against the passenger window. 

His father sighed. "Kyle... what is it you're trying to prove in this constant rebellion? Are you trying to be 'cool'? Are you trying to sully my life with this nonsense?" 

"Probably the latter," the teen responded. "I'm not too worried about being 'cool'. Those people are damned idiots." 

"Cursing," his father warned. "You have a wider vocabulary. Use it." 

"Those people are damned foolish idiots." 

His father sighed again. "Kyle... I sincerely hope you have a child whose views differ as radically from your own as yours differ from mine." 

Kyle blinked in surprise. "What, you're not gonna wish I have a kid just like me?" 

"You would enjoy it far too much." 

Kyle snorted. "And don't you forget it." 

"I won't, make no mistake," the man replied, silently noting that his son had now responded to him twice without cursing. 

A corner was turned, and nothing was said for a time. His father was the one to break the silence -- of course. "Your midterm grades look excellent, Kyle. You're well on the way to becoming a doctor." 

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to be a damned doctor?" Kyle groused. 

"It's what's best for you, son. Just imagine the money you'd make... how well-off you'd be. Financial security is a very important thing these days. The more you have, the better off you are." 

Kyle shook his head. "No way. The more you've got, the more you risk losing. No point. I don't want to be a goddamned doctor." 

"Kyle, stop cursing or _I'll _be assigning homework for you in addition to whatever your teachers give you." 

"Yeah, right. It stands. I don't want to be a doctor." 

"Don't knock it if you haven't tried it," his father said reasonably. 

"Have you ever tried writing?" 

His father scoffed at this. "Writing is a silly profession, Kyle. I honestly don't know why you would want to pursue such a career, except in perhaps reports for magazines. But book-writing... that is quite the silly thing. Beneath you." 

"Have you ever _tried_ it?" 

"I don't need to." 

Kyle growled. "Don't knock it if you haven't tried it, you damned hypocrite." 

"That's enough!" His father stopped the car and glared at him. "I've had it with all this. You'd best start shaping up, or you're never going to make it in this world. You'll stay the same nothing and nobody that you are to society now for the rest of your life. My status won't support you. You have to earn your own. The medical profession is the best place for that, and it's where you're going. And that's that." 

The cabin virtually echoed with the words for several moments. Kyle said nothing in response. 

The car began moving again. 

------- 

There was an empty table in the lunchroom. 

And nobody dared take it. 

That was because someone had already laid claim to it, at the beginning of the school year. Everyone knew it was _his_ table. No one else's. If there were no empty seats left at the other tables, students would go to the far wall, grab spare chairs, and crowd in. If tables couldn't be crowded any further, they stood and roamed around, occasionally exchanging pleasantries with good-humored teachers. 

But never did they consider that empty table. 

Because it was _his_. 

Five minutes late to lunch, Kyle McCraine slumped into one of the four chairs at the table and tossed his bulging backpack onto the surface. He released an annoyed sigh and slouched into one of the seats. He was quite happy to at least be by himself. He derived only small pleasure from it, but it was pleasure, nonetheless. 

_Better than that damned teacher trying to wake me up all the time. Now I can at least get some rest_, he thought. _Or better yet..._

He pulled out a ripped and faded folder from his backpack, ignoring the stares from other tables, and removed a random paper from the many papers that kept the folder full to overflowing. This one, like so many others, was crumpled and ripped, and virtually covered in a combination of ink and pencil lead. 

If one were to look closely at what forms the ink and lead had taken on the papers within the folder, one would have seen pages and pages covered in a massive, splintered, curse-riddled diatribe against his family, his school, his classmates, his teachers, and his life. And then one would likely have found himself gasping for breath, as looking in that folder – or over Kyle's shoulder for just about anything directly in front of him – tended to earn people an elbow to the gut. 

He'd gotten himself suspended numerous times for fighting, there was no mistake of that. If he felt like hitting someone, he hit someone. It was just that simple. He'd tread the line several times where expulsion was considered, and many times his parents had brought up home schooling. They'd even gotten him into it once. It only lasted a day; the teacher had left in an outrage, demanding compensation for each and every bite mark. 

He let out a little chuckle at that. Some of those bites had almost been enough to draw blood. He'd have been a lot more proud of himself if he'd managed that; as it was, he was proud that he'd driven the teacher off at all. And happy. _I don't need some damned private tutor giving me lessons at home. That's my house, dammit. As much as I may hate it, it's all I got, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let some teacher barge in and blow my privacy. Damn straight._

He began to scribble random lines into the margins of the paper he'd selected – those were the only blank spaces left on it. Soon he'd have to rip another one out of his notebook. He sighed. _Damned nuisance_. That notebook only had five pages left to it, and he'd already doodled on those. He didn't fancy himself to be an artist, but drawing was something else he enjoyed. _Besides, it pisses my teachers off whenever I give them papers with drawings all over them._

He began to lose track of time as he continued to write. He was annoyed; it was all the same stuff, just rehashed. He didn't want to keep saying the same thing a million times over. He wanted something new. He glanced up at the clock. 

_Five minutes 'til the next class. Damn. Well, I suppose I could get a move-on. I can pay attention in Literature class, at the very least. Not like the damn teacher cares whether I do or not._

As he passed by one of the tables on his way out of the cafeteria, his left hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of fries from some poor loser's Styrofoam tray. The kid glared at Kyle's back and muttered, "Asshole." 

_You'd better believe it_, Kyle thought, as he munched on the fries. 

------- 

Kyle took his time in going to Phys. Ed. He hated that class with a passion – which was not uncommon, since most students in secondary education hated that class with a passion. The difference between him and most students, however, was that he only dressed out for it every other day. On the days he didn't dress out, he sat in the bleachers and wrote. Wisely, people left him alone. Inevitably, at the beginning of the year, there'd be a few poor, dumb kids who'd bother him about it – it had happened to him every year since 7th grade, when he first started the notebook that later expanded to the folder – but after an angry stare (or worse, a hit), they stopped asking and stayed far away from him. 

When he dressed out, his preferred for of participation was weight-lifting. He always did that by himself. He avoided the barbell – rules stated someone needed to spot a bar-lifter and he wasn't about to partner with anyone – and instead focused on the machines. 

If there was one thing his teachers could count on him for, it was consistency. He always dressed out every other day, and save for sickness, he was one to hold to that schedule. Yesterday he'd skipped school entirely; that had been a no-dress day. 

He trudged into the locker room three minutes late. Half the guys were already dressed out; the rest were well on the way. He threw his backpack atop the locker row – it was much too full to fit in his assigned locker – and discarded his overcoat and pants. Shorts, shirt, and shoes were all he needed, and he always made sure to have his gym clothes on under his street clothes on his dress days. 

He caught several venomous glances from his classmates, which only prompted him to grin. He couldn't care less if they hated him. The fact that they even expended energy in taking notice of him – not to mention hating him! – was something that amused him no end. _Idiots, damned idiots. They shouldn't bother. After all, what point is there in hating some random asshole? Quite entertaining._

He traipsed out to the gym floor. As usual, the underclassmen were staring at the tattoos that adorned his arms and legs. They weren't huge tattoos, but they fascinated the kids that were too young to have them yet. He paid them no mind. He barely paid attention to what happened around him in gym class half the time, anyway. Occasionally he'd listen for a teacher's instructions just so he could do the exact opposite. Every day, the teacher told them to run five laps around the gym, and every day the teacher would have to yell at Kyle to start running forward and in the right direction. Those who weren't aware of his reputation or had, by some miracle, not run afoul of him, laughed whenever this happened. Those who knew him kept their mouths shut and stuck with an angry scowl. It had gotten old for them. 

On the third lap, Kyle found himself gasping for breath. _God, I could use a cigarette right about now... maybe after class. Find some random smoker, give him a buck or two, have a smoke, then urinate on the school's cornerstone before Dad gets here. Hell yeah._

When the laps were finished, the class was given a myriad of options for strenuous exercise. Kyle, not surprisingly, chose the weight room. Few went there; _all the better_, was his opinion. _Less idiots_. 

Wordlessly, he entered the weight room and began his work on the machines. His body sank into the monotony of routine. He could have drifted to sleep and still he would have continued his regime automatically. 

There was a radio playing in the background. Several students were gathering around it in silent amazement; even the teacher was listening raptly. He rolled his eyes at them. _Why bother focusing on the damned news? What're you assholes here for? Don't you dare waste time without letting me in on it. My grade depends on you paying attention to me, you damned fool of a teacher._ The volume was turned up, but he barely registered the words filtering through the little machine... something to do with blue eyes and "Kaiba." He'd heard of Kaiba – more specifically, the Kaiba Corporation. It was based in Japan but had outlets all over the world. That company was always looking for a good lawyer or twenty. The head of the company, as he understood it, was some sort of genius boy billionaire. Almost as unscrupulous as Kyle was, and certainly ruthless... though obviously, whatever Kaiba had done, he'd done a better job of it that Kyle. _Look at me, I'm still stuck here in this miserable shit-hole and he's making something of himself. He's putting all his damned knowledge to use, and it's giving him a helluva payoff. Not me, though. All I do is run around and make an ass of myself. And maybe try to get other people in the process. Maybe Dad's right. I'll never make anything of myself. Never amount to anything. Being an ass is all I've got._

_Isn't it...?_

_-------_

_Author's Notes: I'm aware that there's hardly any involvement in the YGO universe at this point; bear with me as I continue. There will be more, much more. Meantime... review, please!_


	2. Dusk

_Author's Notes: All right, so here's the second chapter. The story's still finding its footing, so bear with me and indulge me as I bring you more tales of Kyle McCraine's sordid life. Not a whole lot of YGO material here; that will change very soon._

_Kudos and comments go to the reviewers!_

_Yoshimi: Thanks for saying Kyle's not a Mary-Sue. I was trying hard to avoid that with him. I hate Mary-Sues. No point in telling their story if they're already the best, right? No crying! I'm continuing, see?_

_Wolf: The radio bit doesn't sink in here, but it will in time. Duck? Where?_

_Penny: Kyle's "bad" in several ways, it's up to the reader to decide which qualities they like in Kyle the least._

-------

Kyle had his license. He just didn't usually take hold of the opportunity to use it. If he wanted to get away, he walked. It was his escape. He didn't walk because it was more healthy for him or other people; he walked because it was much easier to get himself lost for a long period of time.

Though for once, that wasn't why he was walking today. He had a destination: the stop sign across the street. That was where the smokers gathered – Cancer Corner, some people called it, and after that grueling session in Phys. Ed., he desperately needed the relaxant qualities of a cigarette.

Just thinking about it made his blood burn even hotter for one, and his lungs were feeling more raw by the second. He hustled quickly across the street – in the face of oncoming traffic from both directions – to meet with the smokers... one, in particular, who he could always count on. The man was always and invariably short on cash, so he found it advantageous to get a little boost from Kyle's wallet.

Most likely, of course, he just ended up using the money to feed his habit further, but Kyle didn't consider that his problem. _Let the man deal with it the way he wants to and lemme have my damned smokes._

The man – who really couldn't be called a man, but he certainly didn't fall into the "boy" category and Kyle had never learned his name – barely glanced at the newcomer as he took a lighter to the end of his cigarette. There was no preamble and no wasting time or breath. "How many?"

"Three." Kyle held out three crumpled bills. The man accepted them without question and pulled three cigarettes from his box, then handed them over.

"Need a light?"

"Yeah."

The man offered his lighter's flame to Kyle. The end lit, and Kyle took a long drag. "Ugh. God, I've needed that all damned day."

"Good for you," the man sneered, before taking a particularly long drag of his own that turned nearly half of his cancer stick into smoldering ash.

Kyle didn't care for the man's attitude. It too closely resembled his own, and he'd worked hard to tailor the "I hate everyone" style to his own unique specifications. But then again, the man was the only one present who'd even give a thought to letting Kyle buy his cigarettes, though obviously not cheaply. So Kyle tolerated him just as long as it took to get what he wanted. As for the other smokers, well, screw them. They didn't care for Kyle at all, and a couple of them had voiced disapproval – believe it or not – for allowing a minor like him to smoke. Luckily for Kyle, the man had ignored their disapproval. His reasoning: it's money in the pocket, and if he wants to get himself poisoned with the stuff, well, hey, that's his business.

Kyle continued to puff on his cigarette. _Dad's probably coming to get me by now. Bleh, I don't feel like going home right now. I'll take a walk... it'll make me happy and piss him off at the same time. Yay me. Unbeatable combination. Take that, you hypocritical asshole._

Without salutation, Kyle walked off and made his way up the street, towards the gas station. Legally, he couldn't smoke for another two months, but he'd been doing it since he was sixteen. At that time, though, he hadn't smoked as much as now, but even now, he didn't smoke nearly as much as others at that corner did – only one or two per day, maybe three if he was overwhelmingly stressed out – yet he was fighting a constant battle against the urge to buy more per day. _Soon enough, I'll be able to buy my own damned cigarettes. Wave a little flag and have a party, yay. That asshole charges too damned much, anyway._

His brooding was rudely interrupted by the blare of a car horn almost directly behind him. He jumped, his shoulders instantly tensing at the sudden noise, which stopped as abruptly as it had started and gave way to peals of laughter.

Kyle spun around to see who had decided to get a laugh at his expense, although he already had a good idea of who it might be, considering the tonal qualities of one of the multiple laughing voices. His suspicions were confirmed an instant later as he set his eyes upon the driver of the offending car.

_Monica Zocallos. Damn it, I do NOT want to deal with her today..._

Monica was behind the wheel of a candy-apple red, new-model convertible whose seating capacity was maxed out by four other girls. It was moving exactly as slowly as he was walking, which it could afford to do since there were no other cars around. The petite brunette's face – which bore a light sprinkling of freckles and very little makeup, a surprising trait for a high school senior – was contorted into an expression of twisted satisfaction. "Gotcha, asshole!"

Kyle grunted and dismissively gave Monica the finger, then turned around to continue his brooding walk. He ignored the round of "ooohs" that erupted from the posse upon sight of that gesture.

But he couldn't ignore the horn, which blared again. And again, and again. He glanced over his shoulder in annoyance; Monica was grinning as she happily pounded the horn. Then her eyes sparkled with inspiration and she began to tap out the cadence for "Jingle Bells".

Kyle rolled his eyes and tried his best to block out the noise, at least until she was finished. _No doubt she knows that "Jingle Bells" is singularly THE most goddamned annoying song on Earth..._

When she hit the last "note", she and her friends burst into another round of mocking laughter. He rolled his eyes again and turned back to face them. "Don't you wenches have anything else you'd rather be doing? Y'know, like losing your virginity to greasy models?" Then, before any of them could answer, he held up his hand, as if having discovered the answer himself. "Oh, wait. I forgot. That question's about eight years too late, isn't it?"

"Yeah, screw off, asshole," Monica jeered. "At least I have the chance to lose my virginity to _some_body. You can't say the same because non-humans don't count."

Kyle shook his head disappointedly. "Not a very good comeback, De-Monica."

She glared. That was a nickname kids had constantly used behind her back in grade school; hardly anyone used it now, since they found curse words to be more interesting and hard-hitting.

He raised his cigarette to his lips and took another drag, which prompted her to smirk again. "How about I put it like this: those filter-bearing, nasty gray lips of yours won't be feeling love from anything but the fire ants that'll eat them, along with the rest of you, when you keel over in some alley, heaving toxic waste from the one lung you'll have left. And even the fire ants would be reluctant to eat _your_ filthy corpse."

Kyle rolled his eyes back into his head. _Why me?_ Then he glanced back at the girls, who were giggling at Monica's disgusting – but admittedly vivid – description. The giggling was not so much for the description, of course, so much as for the apparently entertaining thought of Kyle dying a horrible death.

"I'll bet you've only got a few months left, anyway," Monica declared. "You probably won't even make it to the legal smoking age. Which is good, since pretty much the entire school's impatient to get out to the cemetery and piss on your grave."

Kyle glanced at his cigarette, which had burned down to the last quarter of its length. He took the filter between thumb and forefinger and held it up in front of his face, as if contemplating it. Then he looked back at the girls, who were nodding in mindless agreement with Monica.

He finally shrugged. "All right, then I guess I'll just have to toss this."

And he did.

Into her car.

The girls collectively screeched in indignation as the cigarette landed on Monica's lap. Ashes fell across her legs and the seat, and she batted at it, desperately trying to put it out. She let out a stream of curses that made Kyle laugh. He aimed both fingers at her this time and then went on his way.

She didn't follow.

--

_That bitch is damned stupid. I don't care how good she claims to be at that card game – which is also damned stupid, come to think of it; I mean, come on, the best name they could come up with was "Duel Monsters"? What a load – that doesn't mean a damned thing. She's stupid. If she'd just left me alone, her car's upholstery would be safe and I could be smoking in peace right now._

Kyle fingered the other two cigarettes in his pocket. _Maybe I should think about buying a lighter. Then that asshole wouldn't need to waste his fuel, his breath, or his time, and I can be out of his company that much more quickly. Best of both worlds._

He sighed and ran his fingers through his long, stringy, unnaturally black hair. _Dad's probably on the search, and with the bitch shooting her damned mouth off, it won't be long before Mr. Hypocrisy comes rolling along and orders me into the car. Probably yell his damned head off at me about that "doctor" bull._ He chewed the inside of his cheek, the one and only nervous habit he'd ever developed. No one else could see it, so it was acceptable to him. He would have hit something to relieve his tension, except that there was nothing around that could be hit that wouldn't cause him to break a few of his knuckles along the way.

The squeal of car tires resounded up the block, emanating from a source behind him. He glanced over his shoulder in mild curiosity.

It was Monica's car.

He rolled his eyes. _The bitch again? Can't that dumb girl think of anything better to do than constantly harass me? Damn it, she should have learned her lesson by now..._

Her car swerved sharply into the wrong lane, towards the sidewalk Kyle was treading, almost as if she meant to drive up onto it and run him over.

He scoffed and turned back to the sidewalk. _She won't hit me. We may hate each other, but she doesn't have that kind of courage. And even if she did, at this point, death is preferable to life with the hypocrite. So, c'mon, damn it, run me over if you're gonna–_

He felt something pelt his back.

He frowned and glanced up at the car, which was screeching by at this point. Unsurprisingly, he saw the posse – _brainless wenches_ – aiming eight identical rude gestures in his direction. And even though it didn't surprise him, he still rolled his eyes back into his head and kept them in that position until the car was out of earshot.

Once they were gone, Kyle turned and glanced down at the ground in search of the item that had hit him. His eyes caught it a moment later, and he chuckled with bemusement before reaching down to pick up the cigarette butt he'd tossed into Monica's lap. The end was out, but there was still enough on the end of the filter for a couple more decent puffs. _Decent of her. She's still a histrionic bitch, but decent of her. Now I won't have wasted a quarter after all._

"Kyle!"

_Damn._ Kyle quickly stuck the butt in his pocket and straightened up. He knew the voice, of course. He sighed and turned to face his father.

The man, to say the least, had a consternated expression. "Kyle, I've been looking for you for half an hour."

"Really? I'd been hoping it was longer."

Mr. McCraine sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, as though dealing with a migraine. A migraine that happened to be his son. "Kyle... please, just get in the car and let's go home."

Kyle sighed heavily and made a show of trudging around the car and getting into the passenger seat. He loudly slammed the door shut and took his time in buckling himself in. "Okay, I'm in. Happy?"

Mr. McCraine shook his head sadly. "Whatever happened to you, Kyle? You used to have at least _some_ sense in you..."

"Aww, what, you don't _like_ my 'rebellious nature'?" Kyle sneered. "I think it started when I found out I can actually have a choice as to the career I'd want. Not like you ever let me think I had a damned choice. Thanks a lot."

Mr. McCraine rolled his eyes, not unlike his son. "Kyle, I doubt if you understand it now – from all your complaining, it's pretty plain that you don't – but I'm doing this for your own good. And for the good of other people, as well. Medicine is a noble profession; why would you possibly want to turn it down?"

"Because that's not the damned course I want!" Kyle virtually shouted. "And you never listen when I tell you that!"

"Kyle!" Mr. McCraine's voice was one of annoyance and exasperation. "I'll tell you who's not listening... it's you. No matter how much I try to drive this into you, you're always rejecting it. I don't know where this desire to fight me and your mother came from, but I have dealt with it for a very long time now, and I, for one, am completely and utterly _sick_ of it!"

"You're not the only one," Kyle mumbled.

--

When they got home, they didn't look at each other. It was a rare occasion when any member of Kyle's family looked another in the eye. Idly, he wondered if this was because his father was a lawyer and his work was too shifty to allow it.

They had supper. Kyle never complained about the food, didn't even so much as make a face at it. His mother was one of the greatest cooks he'd ever known, and where the cafeteria lunch ladies were seriously lacking, his mother made up for it a million times over. The food was one of the few things he made a point of appreciating in this household.

The rest was pretty much a blur. He had chores he'd been assigned. He shirked them until the absolute last minute and then dragged his feet when finally doing them. As usual. Then he shut himself up in his room and did his homework. Strangely enough, he found the orderliness of homework (even as horrendous as he felt the stuff was) to be a haven in the midst of the chaos raging in his own mind, and outside of it.

_But it's damned stupid. Like everything else._

When he finished his homework, it was about 11:30 p.m. By this time, even he would acknowledge that it was time to hit the sack if he had any hope of being awake at all in the morning. Not that he would want to be... _I wonder if Mom will think twice about barging in tomorrow. "He'll drop his boxers again," she might think. Damn straight._

He turned out the lights and plunged himself into darkness before settling under the covers of his bed.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he hoped that tomorrow wouldn't be just a repeat of today.

But the rest of his mind knew better.

And he couldn't think of a way to stop it... not even to save his life.

-------

_Okay, so now we know about Kyle's usual days. Next chapter will have good, solid YGO material in it, promise! But in the meantime, please review? What did you like/hate? What can be improved? I'm eager to know!_


	3. There Be Dragons

_A/N: Allrighty, so, here's the third chapter. More foul-mouth-edness from Kyle, so be warned. Hope you're enjoying!_

_Skraku: Well, I suppose he could be worse..._

_Wolf: Duck!_

_Yoshimi: *gets out a handkerchief* Here ya go, wipe away those tears 'cause you've got a brand-new chapter sitting right in front of you! What could be better, hm?_

-------

October – Two Days Later

--

When Kyle awakened, he did so much earlier than he had expected. He glanced at his clock; it read 5:42.

He groaned and let himself slump out of his bed. _All right, all right, so I'll get up now. Grab some breakfast, get dressed, and be out of here before they even notice. That'd be damned great. Wonder why I didn't think about that before... idiot that I am._

He went through his dresser with deliberation and settled on a pair of – what else? – black pants. It was the pair that had, arguably, the most zippers on them. Every single zipper and tooth gleamed silver. He liked this pair; if the zippers were open, the teeth would inevitably get caught on someone else's clothing, possibly tear it. Especially the baggy clothes that his classmates enjoyed wearing. Of course, they'd accuse Kyle of being an asshole – as they so often would – but hey, it was _their_ fault for wearing those damned baggy clothes. _Never mind that I'm wearing 'em, too... I'm gonna make 'em unpopular._ He grinned with anticipation of achieving that goal.

He chose a black muscle shirt to wear underneath a black silk shirt adorned with a silvery dragon. _Japanese may make damned stupid card games, but they know how to make cool shirts, too._ He let out a sigh, then dragged his fingers through his dyed hair and made his way out to the kitchen.

He didn't eat much for breakfast, as a general rule. Kept him thinner that way. He didn't like seeing men sitting around, gaining weight because they did nothing but sit and eat all day.

So today he ate a bowl of cereal and drank a small glass of orange juice. He didn't care if either item was actually nutritious or not; they just happened to taste good, and so he ate them. _I'll end up burning the calories off in the gym anyway, so what the hell's the point in worrying about what I eat?_

After eating, Kyle got himself a quick shower. If being dirty didn't bother him, he probably wouldn't shower; it would be a great opportunity to find something else to make his classmates hate him for.

What did he have against his classmates? Admittedly, not much. Except that some of them had treated him like dirt ever since they arrived at middle school age, the age where kids learn the most about socializing. There had been the bullies, oh yes, and there had been the snot-nosed brats who were just all of a sudden too good for Kyle.

And all the while, there were his parents, drilling into him the bit about becoming a doctor.

Ever since birth, it seemed, he had been trained to accept that lifestyle. His parents always treated the medical profession with reverence, though lately he'd come to wonder if it wasn't just some elaborate act on their part to goad him into it. _Probably. Wouldn't doubt it._

But then he started hearing about kids wanting to go into jobs their parents disapproved of. He'd thought this an alien concept, thought that it was only natural that he should become a doctor and help people... and make a lot of money, besides. But here were his classmates, saying they wanted to be something their parents didn't want them to be.

It made him question what he really wanted.

The question had whirled about in his mind ever since.

That had been the start of his little rebellion against his parents. It was no big thing, at least not at first. Honestly, back then, his father had scared him to death. The man was completely overbearing and overwhelming. Kyle had tried to approach him as delicately as possible: _"Hey Dad... I was wondering... what if the medical area... um... what if it isn't for me?"_

_"Not for you? Kyle, how could medicine possibly be not for you? Who's been telling you these things, hm? A classmate? A teacher?"_

_ "N-No, Dad... I-I was just wondering..."_

_ "Think no more on it, son. You're perfect for the medical profession. There's no one better. No one. And that's exactly where you're going! Just think about it; you'll be helping all those people and making all that money! You'll be even more well-off than your mother and me!"_

_ "A-Are you sure? I mean..."_

_ "I'm completely sure, Kyle. This is the best possible choice for you."_

Kyle clenched his eyes shut at the memories. His father truly had no idea.

For that, Kyle was both thankful and annoyed.

He looked out the window. It was still dark outside; the winter season was well on the way. _Guess I'll have to take one of the cars instead of the bike. Better that way anyway; heaters are good. I like it when it's as hot as all hell._

He grabbed a set of spare keys off a hook hanging on the refrigerator, exited through the garage, and climbed into the driver's seat of an electric blue Ford Taurus. _May as well put my license to good use._

He opened the garage door with the click of a button, then pulled the car out.

It was 6:21.

School started at 8:30.

He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do with that time.

_But at least I'm getting away from the house of horrors._

That was all he was truly worried about.

--

He parked in his designated parking spot on the school's lot, then turned off the engine. No sense in wasting the fuel. Then he pulled a lever on the left side of the seat and laid back in a more comfortable position... though comfort in a car tends to be relative, no matter what position one takes inside one. Particularly the driver's seat.

He turned the radio dial until he found a station he liked, and tried to roll onto his side in order to get more comfortable. There was a loud heavy metal song playing. _Cool. Maybe I can get less fitful sleep here._

He drifted into a light sleep for a while, despite – or maybe because of – the volume of the music. He couldn't hear anything else, didn't want to hear anything else. He rather enjoyed falling asleep to music like this, but his parents hated it when he had his boombox on any station but a classical one. The only way he could get away from that was by putting on headphones (which he hated) or by getting out of the house (which was inconvenient, but preferable when it came to choosing between being outside and being inside with them).

He was awakened, though, by the sound of a slightly nasal voice announcing a news break. He groaned and shifted around in his seat. He'd been lying there long enough that a cramp had developed in the small of his back, and he busied himself with relieving it – and cracking a few of his vertebrae in the process.

The nasal voice droned. "Now the world's foremost gaming technology producer is confirming that there was a break-in at the main R&D facility of Kaiba Corporation three days ago. Seto Kaiba, president and CEO of KaibaCorp, issued a statement late Monday morning announcing the break-in, as well as theft of prototype technology and three Duel Monsters cards that were, until that time, in his possession: specifically, his collection of the rarest cards in the world, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. The theft occurred during a testing period during which Kaiba's Duel Monsters deck – which contained those cards – were in use by a computer program. Allegedly, a man dressed as one of the staff took the cards and equipment by claiming he was performing maintenance on the duel computer. He has not yet been identified. Kaiba's statement included a suspicion that these world-renowned cards had likely reached the black market by now. He says he is willing to pay upwards of one million dollars for each.

"While KaibaCorp officials are uncertain as to how such a breach of security could have occurred–"

Kyle snorted in annoyance and twisted the volume dial to the left, thus cutting off the report. _I don't care, you freaking moron. I don't give a damn what happens where that stupid card game is concerned. It's just a game, for Godsakes. Print three new ones, stick 'em in your deck, and quit your bitching. Don't pay out the ass to get three pieces of card paper back from thieves._

He sighed. He'd love to say that to Kaiba's face, to knock some sense into the idiot boy billionaire... but he knew he would never get the chance to meet Kaiba, much less get into a conversation about Duel Monsters with him.

_I'm closer to heaven than I am to Kaiba..._

His eyes flitted to the clock. It was 8:03 now, and more students were parking in the lot and filling it up quite quickly. _I'd better get out of here before some sorry idiot takes a picture of me sleeping._

He stretched, righted the back of the seat, and got out of the car, taking his stuffed backpack with him.

--

Kyle preferred to walk the hallways of his school with his eyes closed. Two things resulted from that as usual phenomena: 1) he bumped into more people (who subsequently called him an asshole), and 2) people who saw him do it were quick to clear a path for him. Of course, he enjoyed causing these phenomena. He was an asshole, and he was quick to make sure everyone knew it.

He knew the school like the back of his hand. _By all rights, I damned well ought to... I've spent more detention time here than most of the teachers!_ He knew exactly how many steps he needed to take to each class, even if he couldn't tell you the number off the top of his head. So when he walked the school with his eyes closed, there was no hesitation and no fear of crashing into a wall or pillar. He knew exactly where he was going. Even scaling the stairs gave him no fear or doubt at all. If anything, the stairs were the most dependable territory of the school, where walking blind was concerned. They didn't depend on the length of your stride; they had a set length and width of their own, and pretty much forced you to follow their pattern, no matter how many steps at a time you chose to take.

Today was one such day when he chose to close his eyes as he prowled the hallways between classes. He heard mumbling around him, things ranging from "Uh-oh, he's at it again" to "That asshole doesn't even know where the hell he's going!"

He suppressed a smile. He loved hearing their reactions. Some he didn't much care for, but that went with the territory, of course. And there was nothing they could do about it, anyway. _What're they gonna do, rip my damned eyelids off? First they'd have to touch me... and they all know what happens when some sorry bastard makes that mistake._

But when he began to scale the stairs, he heard something that made his eyelids snap open instantly: a sharp squeal coming from a voice he recognized all too well. _The histrionic bitch. Sounds like she's being pained somehow. Oh, I've gotta see this!_

As it turned out, Monica was on the platform junction between floors, and Kyle opened his eyes just in time to see her drop to the deck, scrambling madly for something or another. She was muttering an unintelligible string of words, and Kyle was pretty sure she was cursing. That only made him grin even more. _What's she scrambling for, anyway? I've never seen Monica get down on the ground for anything... surprising, since I'm pretty sure that's what she does in her spare time... but still... that suddenly? Freaking amazing._

She glared at some poor freshman who was just standing over her, looking chagrined and stupid, and she hissed a louder stream of foul insults. The kid turned red and rushed up the stairs without looking back. Kyle chuckled. _Nice, very nice... what the hell's up there, though?_ By this time, Monica's posse had also gotten to the floor and were scrambling madly for items that he still had yet to see.

_Ah, screw it, I don't care if she's a bitch or not, I want to see._ He pushed his way through the backed-up throng on the stairs (the posse had also deterred people approaching from both directions from moving any further), and very nearly tripped when his foot slipped on something. He frowned and looked at the offending item--

It was a Duel Monsters card.

He rolled his eyes. _Oh, this shit._ Nevertheless, he leaned down and picked it up.

The card had been lying face-down on the step, and despite the usual dirty state of school floors, the card seemed to repel the grit. Its picture was that of a slim, shining white dragon with a long, golden beak and massive wings. The picture glimmered at him; it was holographic, and Kyle supposed that indicated how rare it was. The name was also embossed in gold.

He frowned. _"Hyozanryu?" Hell of a weird name. Japanese, maybe? The picture's... kinda pretty, actually. "A dragon created from a massive diamond that sparkles with blinding light." That's a bad-ass dragon._ His eyes flitted over the numbers at the bottom right. _ATK / 2100, DEF / 2800. Doesn't mean anything to me, but I sure hope that means it's strong. If there's gonna be a dragon this awesome--_

"_Give me that!_"

Before Kyle could react, he found the card being violently swiped out of his hand, and its position in front of his face was replaced with Monica's glaring countenance. "You keep your grimy, oily fingers off my Duel Monsters cards, asshole!"

His quick wit kicked in. "What, you don't like fingerprints all over your cards? I'd never have guessed."

"Kiss my ass," she hissed.

And then she walked off.

He blinked. _Well, that goes to show she cares about more than just herself. Go figure. Bitch._

Then he frowned and began up the stairs again. _It's a shame, though... that card's kinda cool. The game's still damned stupid, but that card..._

He finally shook his head as he trudged into his next class. _Nah. It's all damned stupid... that's all there is to it._

--

When he came home, he ignored his mother – which worked out well, since she didn't seem interested in paying attention to him, either; she was in the midst of balancing her checkbook. He marched into his room without a word being exchanged.

_She probably has no idea just how "well-off" I am right now. And if not, good; she doesn't need to know, and neither does HE. Most especially not him._

If there was one thing Kyle knew, it was how to manage his money. He might go on a spending spree every once in a while, but he watched himself carefully as he did so. He saw no point in being sloppy and wasteful with that which he would end up needing later on. He had a checking account and a credit card, and he prided himself on being responsible with them and being a good manager of his money.__

_ And come next summer, that money's gonna be put to the test when I get out of this hellhole. It'll be about time, too._

He brooded in his room for some time, not really sure of what he felt like doing – other than sitting in his room and brooding. The smell of food wafting through the hallway, and eventually into his room, alerted him that it was getting close to suppertime.

He left his room and entered the living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. There, his father had made himself comfortable in a plush recliner in front of their big-screen television. He was channel-surfing and reading the newspaper at the same time, a very annoying habit that Kyle wished his father would break.

"Pops, you really ought to think about focusing on one or the other," he muttered, as he plunked himself onto the couch.

Mr. McCraine frowned at his son over the upper edge of the paper. "What business is it of yours?"

"It's not, but it damn well ought to be yours," Kyle scoffed. "If you're reading the paper, you're wasting energy with the TV, and if you're watching the TV, then you're hogging the paper... which I might actually like to read, believe it or not."

Mr. McCraine rolled his eyes, as if his son was putting a massively inconvenient decision before him. Then he riffled through the pages of the paper and pulled one out, tossing it to Kyle once it was free.

Kyle snatched it from midair and pulled it down to eye level, wondering what the man had already gone over and if there were any significant happenings in the world – besides some whining card player bemoaning his lost cards.

But he couldn't find any such news. Because he'd been given the comics section.

He scowled. "On second thought, keep your goddamned paper." And with that, he hurled the paper right back at his father.

Mr. McCraine looked over the top edge of the paper in annoyance after the flying object crashed into the business section. "Knock it off, Kyle." Like _Kyle_ had been the one to do something wrong.

Kyle wanted to scream at the man, to just ream him out for not being able to comprehend his son, for never having been able to comprehend his son, no matter how many times Kyle had tried to hammer it into him. _I'm not a goddamned little boy anymore! I'm growing up, beyond your control, beyond your ability to manipulate! You can't give me some damned credit for once in your damned life?!_

But as he was firing himself up for it, his mother came out of the kitchen. "Dinnertime, gentlemen."

He let out an irritated sigh. He wasn't getting good vibes from either of them today. No surprise, since most of the time he didn't get good ones from them anyway.

But tonight... tonight really felt "not good."

They sat down at the dinner table in silence, ate their food in silence. For more than five minutes, nothing was said, and the only thing that Kyle could hear was himself, chewing his food. He found this preferable to hearing his parents expound on the advantages of being a doctor. _That's about the last thing I need right now._

His father was the first one to break the silence. "Kyle, I think we should discuss–"

"No," Kyle said shortly. "No discussing. I don't need any damned discussions tonight. I just want to eat my food and get my ass back in my room."

"You didn't let me finish my sentence," Mr. McCraine glowered, "therefore you have no idea what I was planning to discuss with you."

"It doesn't matter. It's the same shit over and over again. Would you stop telling me how to live my life? It _is_ my life, you know. _My_ life."

"And who gave you your life?" his mother asked, using a lulling, reasonable voice. "Your father and I did, of course. You wouldn't be here if not for us. Shouldn't it behoove you to at least let him finish?"

"There's nothing to discuss," said Kyle.

"I disagree," said his father. "Kyle, I'm worried about you. I know you've taken to deliberately harming yourself, your body, and your mind. You think I can't smell the cigarette smoke all over your clothing? It permeates you. You're not of a legal age to be smoking, and you know that."

"Yeah, well, what're you going to do about it? Put me in jail? It'd be a hell of a lot better than here. I'm already in prison," Kyle groused.

"Kyle!" his mother barked. "Honestly! You think you're so bad off? Look at your classmates, those who have so little compared to what you have. You've got the opportunity, the intelligence, and the resources to make yourself one of the greatest men the world has ever seen, and you think you're in _prison_ when you're at home?"

Kyle sank down into his seat and crossed his arms. "I don't want to talk about this shit."

"Perhaps not to us," his father remarked, disregarding the profanity, "but you need to talk about your issues. That much is clear."

"My only _issue_ is that you won't keep your goddamned noses out of my goddamned _life_!" Kyle shouted. "Get it through those damned thick-ass heads of yours!"

Mrs. McCraine scoffed. "Well, there's a start, I suppose. But if you won't talk to us… who _will_ you talk to?"

"I don't need to talk to anyone," he mumbled. "They don't need to hear about this shit either."

"Kyle… you have problems. Serious problems. And there's nothing we can do to help you," said Mr. McCraine. "So we're going to find someone who can do what we can't."

"What, care about my opinions?"

"Exactly that."

Kyle looked up at his mother and scowled at her. "Finally the truth comes out. I've only been waiting seventeen years and eleven months for it."

She reddened. "That wasn't what I--"

"Yes, it was," he responded. "It was exactly what you meant."

"Kyle, that's enough." His father glared at his son. "The bottom line is that you're going to get counseling."

"Counseling?!"

"Yes, counseling. It's the only choice you've left us with. Two hours per week. We lined up a counselor for you this afternoon, after noticing that you'd left with one of the cars far too early in the morning."

"And what, you don't think I was being responsible and going to school on time, for once in my damned life?"

"How are we supposed to know?"

"Ask, damn it!"

"Kyle, the car isn't the only reason, by any means. We know you wanted to get away from us before we got up. We're not stupid. That is not so much a bad thing in itself… but your attitude has become so warped… you buy tattoo after obscene tattoo, you dye your hair, you buy all of that insane clothing, you take pride in making others mad at you, you smoke, you curse unremittingly and pointlessly… it's all built up. This is the way it's going to be."

"Damn it, you won't even let me have a say in how I spend my time?"

"You're spending it poorly enough as it is. The counseling will only be once per week, so it won't cut down too terribly much on your precious pouting time." His father looked seriously into Kyle's eyes. "Kyle, please try to understand that we're doing this for your own good. We're trying to help you."

"I don't _need_ any _help_ from _you_ or any goddamned _counselor_ on the face of this goddamned _planet!_" Kyle shouted, pounding his fist on the table for every emphasis.

He got up and stormed to his room.

_I don't. I don't need anyone or anything. Why the hell can't they just all leave me alone?! Why do they persist? Why do they intrude? When did I lose my right to make my own decisions?! Did I even HAVE that right around here?!_

_ …_

_ That counselor… better have shit in his office that doesn't break easily._

-------

_Angst galore. Obviously the focus is still quite generic, but more and more YGO material is seeping into it. Cool, huh? Next up, our anti-hero has a couple bad memories and watches a holo-duel. Review please! I enjoy writing this, so I'll keep writing no matter how many reviews I get... but the more reviews I get, the faster I'll write!_


	4. Beautiful Destruction

_A/N: And the story continues! We're getting closer to that time when things that went around in Shielded Destiny come around here. But sadly, since final exams are coming up and I'm working at a shipping company during the Christmas season, we're also getting closer to that time when I'll have practically no time to myself. So I may not be able to update as often. Don't hurt me if I don't, 'cause then you won't see any more ficcing. *wink*_

_Lumen: I was trying to bring out people's ability to see both sides of that issue, yes. I'm glad it worked on you._

_Monica: No, her personality isn't based on yours, never fear. *grin* But yes, she's supposed to be a brat. She and Kyle both are, really._

_Penny: Is this soon enough?_

_Wolf: Duck! "Where", you ask? *hands over a Sonic Duck* Right here, of course!_

-------

December – Two Months Later

--

Kyle was eighteen now. He rather liked being eighteen; it meant that he could go out and buy his own cigarettes, and at a much cheaper rate than the man at Cancer Corner offered. He kept a pack with him wherever he could, but didn't bring them onto school grounds… nor did he bring his lighter onto the grounds. He didn't much feel like getting busted and facing expulsion. _Not when I'm this damned close to graduating and getting the hell out of this place._

He was taking a walk this afternoon. A cigarette flared between his lips as he ingested the intensely addictive nicotine / lead / ammonia / God-knows-what-else mixture. _Interesting how cigarette boxes don't have the ingredients on the container. Go figure._

It was cold out. Frankly, he considered it a miracle that the end of his cigarette was lit at all. He didn't take it for granted, either; he was smoking it as fast as he possibly could. He didn't want a sudden gust blowing up and knocking all the smoldering ashes off. Getting out his lighter to re-light the end would have proven too much trouble for him, as he was wearing gloves to at least try to escape the intense cold of winter.

He winced as he recalled his birthday. It had been slightly happier than most of his days; at least he got gifts from his parents that day. They'd not catered to his wishes, though, and gotten him any of the new clothes he'd wanted… but on the other hand, he had to give them some credit in that he didn't get socks and underwear (though he could have used some more socks, truth be told – his father kept stealing his socks out of the clean laundry basket).

No, instead, they'd pretty much ignored what he'd said about Duel Monsters the whole time and bought him a starter deck at one of the local game shops.

He'd tried not to roll his eyes at it when he'd seen what it was. He knew about the starter decks: they came in boxes that were green, red, and black, each color a different collection of cards. In this instance, he'd been given the black deck. _Guess my parents picked up on me liking black. Wonder when that happened. _He could only quietly scoff at them.

_Parents are really useless when it comes to trying to get them to listen_, he thought. _Here I've been, saying this entire time that Duel Monsters is a damned stupid game and that there's no point, and yet there they were giving me a collection of forty of those damned cards. What a hell of a waste of money. That's ten bucks they could have spent on a shirt. Or hair dye. Or SOMEthing. But Duel Monsters cards? Hell no._

Nevertheless, he'd looked through the cards, trying to feign interest and prolong the "festivities". It was a rare occasion when Kyle felt he should be happy about something; the occasion usually tended to be his birthday. He knew his parents meant well, in this instance – could it be possible that they had simply not heard him when he'd ranted against Duel Monsters? _Sure it could, they never listen to me about anything else _-- so he felt obligated to at least take a look at a few of them.

_Curse of Dragon... doesn't look like a curse, it looks like a dragon... Garoozis? Where the hell did they come up with that name? Seven Tools of the Bandit... hmm, I guess all a bandit really needs is a pocketknife... Trap Hole – yep, that's where my house is right now... Dark Hole. Yeah, that's where I am. And Ring of Destruction? Doesn't look like a ring to go on the finger – oh, wait, more like a harness. Maybe for a cow or a horse. Hmm. That'd be damned cool to watch. BOOM! Heh._

When he'd taken the presents to his room, he'd dumped most of them unceremoniously on the floor and had thrown the deck's container – which was quite full – into the trash can, along with month-old school papers and junk that he'd never bothered to take out to the curb on trash day. Thinking back on it now, he wondered why he hadn't done that yet. _Guess it must be slipping my mind every week. Not like I pay a whole hell of a lot of attention to what's in my trash can or what day it is, anyway… except that it's the day to skip gym or the day to participate._

He sighed. He'd been going to the counselor for three weeks now. He didn't feel like it was really going anywhere. All the man ever did was reiterate to Kyle exactly what Kyle said… sans the profanity. Kyle had found this amusing at first, to see how the man would put it, but after a while, it turned from amusing to boring, and finally to sad.

Kyle hadn't really anticipated that Dr. Dawson would be able to help him feel better about anything. But at first he had thought that if he simply said everything that was on his mind, he would eventually run out of steam and calm down. That was not the case, however. Instead, he got a massive second wind, and then a third wind, and then a fourth. Each time, Kyle only felt himself getting angrier.

_That shit's not doing me any good. It really isn't. And it's wasting his time, too. And my parents' money. That last one it about the only reason I go at all. He won't make 'em pay if I don't come in._

He took a long final drag, then tossed the butt away. _Ech. At least the bitch is out of town for a few days. Something about a tournament. Blah, I don't care what shit she gets herself into, just as long as she stays the hell away from me. Damned crazy woman._

As he walked, Kyle glanced at the front yards of various households. Several had evergreens, and whether they were fake or not, Kyle supposed it must have taken considerable effort to get them up. He scoffed at those trees which had ornaments. _If they get blown away, those idiots will have wasted their money and their time._ He rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the sidewalk. _Kinda like me… wasting my time, just walking my dumb ass all over the place… being a coward, wussing out instead of standing up for myself… not a friend, not a single person to my credit… damn, I'm depressing._

He glanced up at another yard. Several children who still had yet to reach their teenage years were running around in the snow, laughing and throwing snowballs and falling over each other. Kyle's first inclination was to roll his eyes, scoff, think about how they could better use their time, and mutter a random curse under his breath… but he didn't do any of these things. Instead, he was struck by a memory – a memory of being that age, being in among children like that.

The memory flashed before his eyes and played out in front of him. The ghosts of children appeared in one of the empty front yards. Among them, he was able to pick out himself and another boy who was approaching the younger Kyle.

_"Kyle, c'mon! Come play with us! We're making up teams for a snowball fight and I want you to be on my team!"_

_ "You sure, Jason?"_

_ "Of course! We like you; why shouldn't you come play?"_

_ "Mom an' Dad think that playing can be 'dangerous' an' it's 'a waste of time.'"_

_ "Oh, yeah, right!" Jason rolled his eyes. "Look, Kyle, you're a kid! You're made to play, you're meant to play! You have all the rest of your life to worry about bein' safe an' not wasting your time. Right now I need a team for a snowball fight, and I want you to be on it! So does everyone else on my team; they all like you!"_

_ Kyle chewed his lip for a few moments, considering his friend's plea. "Okay, okay, I'll come play. But my hands are gonna freeze… I don't have any gloves."_

_ "Just go inside and ask Mom for a pair. She always keeps a bunch of gloves around because Dad's always losing them." Jason giggled. "Maybe he sticks 'em under the bed. Mom always said that's where everything that's lost ends up."_

_ Kyle also giggled. "Okay. Don't start the game without me, though!"_

_ "I promise." Jason turned to one of the other children. "Hey, Zack, make sure that nobody starts throwing snowballs until Kyle comes back out, okay?"_

_ "All right, I will." Zack was about a year older than Kyle and Jason; he knew how to make sure that the other kids did as they were told. He had a commanding presence about him, something that was impossible for the younger ones to ignore. The ones his age liked him too much to not listen to him, so overall, he was more the leader of the team that Jason was. He was helping several kids build a massive wall of snow to guard against enemy bombardment. He looked at the others. "Hey, you guys, make sure to hold your fire until Kyle gets back out here. We want to make sure he has his fun, too, okay?"_

_ "Okay!" they all chirped._

The ghosts vanished, leaving Kyle alone on the sidewalk again.

He emitted a slight sigh at the memory. Jason had been diagnosed with leukemia two months later, and had died over the next summer. At the time, Kyle hadn't been able to understand, to grasp the concept of death, even as much as his parents were guiding him to the medical profession. Perhaps he knew a general definition of it, but for it to hit so close to home, so early in his life… well, it had been, to say the least, disturbing.

After that, Kyle had started to clam up. Fewer were the days he spent with his friends. He hung out with Zack's group for a little while, but to add further injury to an already open wound, Zack moved out of state. Kyle never found a way to keep in touch with him.

His parents had advised him to be impersonal about it. "Life is made up of meetings and partings. Doctors can't allow themselves to get too personal, to get too involved. Otherwise they would go insane every time they lost someone. It would be unspeakably traumatic."

_Heh, just look at me now. The poor, traumatized little bastard. I wish I'd been smart enough to ignore them then. It sure as hell would've helped me in my later years…_

Kyle pulled out his pack of cigarettes and his lighter, but then glanced back up at the kids, who were still running around in the snow. He looked back at the cigarette, which by this point was sitting between his lips, waiting to burn. The lighter's flame was flickering in front of his face, waiting to be blown out by the slightest cold gust.

_Nah._

He put his lighter away and returned the cigarette to his pocket.

--

He came home that evening to find his father sitting in his recliner, reading the paper, as usual. The television was set on a particular channel, though to Kyle's surprise, it wasn't a news channel. Instead, it was some sort of game show network.

Kyle sat down on the couch and spied the TV for a few moments. It was in the middle of commercials, and he was just about to pick up the remote when his father said, "Don't touch that. I'm watching something."

Kyle scoffed. "Over the top of your paper again? You really can't devote your time to just one thing, can you?"

"Knock it off, Kyle. Like everything else you complain about, this subject is getting very annoying. I am quite capable of devoting my attention to one topic if I so choose… I simply choose to devote it to more than one in order to be efficient."

"Efficiency lowers when you try to multitask. No one can truly split their active cognitive attention."

"Kyle…" His father had that warning tone in his voice.

Kyle sighed. "Fine, whatever. So what're you watching?"

"A classmate of yours. She's the daughter of an acquaintance of mine."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Oh, goody. Did he ask you to watch her as part of some favor?"

"No, the subject matter simply interests me. I like to know what my acquaintances are up to."

"Who is it?"

"Her name is Monica Zocallos. Are you acquainted with her?"

Kyle scowled and stood up. "I think I'll go to my room now."

His father chuckled. "You don't like her, eh? Well, I'm not surprised. I've heard she's not one of the nicest people at your school. I'm sure the two of you would get along beautifully, considering the chip you've always got on your shoulder."

_That's it, I don't have to stick around here and be insulted further because of the bitch._ Kyle turned and started for his room.

_"Welcome back to Jump Network's 7th annual Duel Monsters Tournament, hosted by J.P. Bonna! J.P., what's happening down there?"_

_ "Well, Carl, we've got a new duel happening down here, it just got underway. Duelist Monica Zocallos is just now making her first move, let's take a look."_

_ "I play Hyozanryu in defense mode!"_

Kyle stopped mid-step and blinked. _Hyozanryu? Isn't that…?_

He turned around and looked back at the screen. To his great surprise, the television was showing what appeared to be a real version of the card he'd seen last October. It shone under the strobe lights of the stadium it was housed within, and at the moment, it had its sparkling wings curled around it, almost like it was protecting its young. It had a slender white body and a long, golden beak.

A small blue box was superimposed over the upper left corner of the TV screen, with the number 2000 highlighted in yellow. There was another blue box in the bottom right, this one showing two yellow numbers, one stacked on top of the other. On top was 2100; on the bottom, 2800. The 2800 was highlighted in bold font.

Kyle blinked. _What the hell–? That thing is real?_

The screen then flashed to Monica, who was standing on a red-painted platform about ten feet above the ground. She was holding five cards in her hand and was wearing a triumphant smirk. She perused the cards in her hand, then selected two of them. _"As a follow-up, I place two magic/trap cards face-down. Over to you, kiddo."_

The view switched over to a boy that was at least two years younger than Monica. His name, Gerard Harrison, flashed across the top of the screen next to the counter – which also read 2000 – at the upper left. He was a short blond kid with a look of determination on his face. _"Okay. I play Wingweaver in attack mode!"_

The camera zoomed out, and amidst a rain of sparkles there appeared a giant, long-haired woman wearing yellow robes. She also had six long, tapered white wings sprouting from the center if her back. Her hands were pressed together, as if in prayer, and she was hovering in mid-air, rather than settling on the ground she should have been on by the rules of gravity.

It suddenly struck Kyle. _Oh! Damn my stupidity, they're not real... they're holograms. Duh._ His eyes flitted over the counters at the lower right. The top number – which was highlighted – read 2750; the bottom number read 2400.

_"Nice try."_ The screen switched back to the view of Monica, who was smirking in triumph. _"But I activate Trap Hole! It lets me destroy any monster you summon that has a thousand or more attack points."_

Spontaneously, a crag seemed to open up in the panels of the platform over which the Wingweaver creature was floating. She screamed and dropped into the hole, which then seemed to seal over. Kyle was intrigued. _Those cards that Mom and Dad gave me... they had a card called Trap Hole in them... is the holographic effect really as cool as all that?_

He shook his head suddenly and violently, as if trying to snap himself out of a reverie. _What the hell am I thinking? The game's damned stupid. Why would I care?_

_"And since you can only summon one monster in a turn,"_ Monica said, _"this duel is going to be over very quickly."_

_"Don't be so sure. I place three magic/trap cards face-down and finish my turn there,"_ the boy responded. The camera shot of him showed Kyle pretty much all he needed to know. There was fear in his eyes, despite the brave front he was trying to put up.

_"Oh, do you now?"_ Monica's tone dripped with contempt. _"Well, all right, then. In that case, I bring out Luster Dragon in attack mode!"_

Next to Hyozanryu, there appeared a sparkling green dragon that seemed no less illustrious than its predecessor. At the lower right, the numbers read 2400 and 1400.

_"Just in case, I'm going to keep Hyozanryu in defense mode. Not like your Life Points will present much of a challenge to destroy, I'm sure. Luster Dragon, attack his Life Points directly!"_

The aptly named Luster Dragon's mouth yawned open, and a green bolt of energy spewed forth, towards the platform where Gerald was standing. When the view switched to him, it was just in time to catch him make a quick movement with his hand towards his card field. _"Activate the quick-play magic card Scapegoat! These guys will block four of your attacks and give me a chance to come back."_

_ "Ah-ah... I activate the trap card Magic Drain."_ Monica smirked as she flipped over the remaining card on her magic/trap field. Behind her two dragons, an emaciated zombie rose up and reached out towards Gerald's field._ "In order to use Scapegoat, you'll have to discard another magic card from your hand."_

Gerald cringed. _"But... but I don't have another magic card in my hand!"_

_ "Probably put 'em all on the field, right? Try to fake me out. I'd say that didn't do too well for you, kiddo. If you can't discard a magic card from your hand, then your Scapegoat card is negated, and Luster Dragon's attack takes down your Life Points."_

In the midst of this play, Luster Dragon's attack had been paused. The energy beam it had emitted was hanging in midair, as if the monster field had quite suddenly come to a standstill. It may as well have, too.

But with the play finished, Luster Dragon's attack continued. The beam washed over the platform, causing Gerald to cringe further. On his camera shot, the number in the upper left corner dropped from 2000 to 0.

J.P. Bonna's voice came over the speakers. _"Well, Carl, there you have it. That was one of the shortest duels we've seen here at the Jump tourneys. But then again, the semi-finals are still a long way off. Back to you."_

_ "Allrighty, J.P., and there you have it, folks, as he said. Now let's take a look at the next duel, which is just now getting underway–"_

Kyle's father chuckled. "And here I thought you weren't interested in this game or that person."

Kyle blinked. "Huh?"

"Duel Monsters. Monica. Ring a bell?" The man laughed. "My, my, that certainly had you riveted, didn't it? Well, I suppose it's a good thing to be riveted to, as compared to some of your other habits. Anyway, smells like it's about time for dinner."

Kyle blinked again, shook his head violently once more, and scratched his scalp through his long, black-dyed hair. _Whoa. Yeah... that did have me riveted... but why? I don't give a shit about those stupid cards..._

_ At least, not the cards themselves... but those holograms..._

He shook his head. _Nah. Gotta take my mind off that shit. Not doing me any good. All I need to be worrying about is getting out of this hellhole. Make arrangements, all that shit. I'll get on that after our little vacation._

_ I wonder where Dad's planning on taking us. England, France, Spain, Germany, Russia... ech, those places are too damned cold in the winter. Couldn't he take us somewhere warm for once?_

-------

_Next up, the McCraines go on a little vacation, and Kyle gets into something a bit over his head! Meantime, review, please! Yes, me = review hog. But you review = me write!_

  



	5. Across The Skies

_A/N: Whoa! That's a lot of reviews for one chapter, for me! Thank you so much, it's really appreciated! Take a look at the next one and I'll keep my fingers crossed that more people will find this fic worth reading!_

_Lumen: Well, you're reading and keeping up with it, right? That's cause for joy! There's hope for your kind yet, my friend. *wink*_

_Ankhutenshi: Since the segment below happens to include a psych-session, you'll get to see a little bit of the "parroting"._

_Monica: Liked that duel? Just you wait. There's plenty more where that came from!_

_Neferkimi: In the Document Manager page, there should be directions on how to make sure that the italics appear in your story. If you write using Microsoft Word, you can save your chapter as HTML and the italics will stick, instead of falling off regular Word documents. If you submit stories in .txt format, you can use HTML tags. For example, to put something in italics, surround "i" in brackets before the selection, and surround "/i" in brackets after the selection. And yes, I've seen the other chapters of your story, I just got waylaid before I could review. Gomen nasai._

_Penny: Update-ness! Happiness?_

_Count-Hagane: Thanks for the compliment. And sure, I'll take a look when I manage to get the time to read anything. Classes, sleep, writing, and work are killing my free time._

_Skraku: Actually, believe it or not, I hadn't thought about doing any "foreigner" reaction until you brought it up. Now I'll have to!_

_Wolf: Hadn't actually thought of emulating you through Gerald. He's an amateur wuss, after all, nothing like you. And yeah, yeah, cradle that Magical Marionette all you like. What use do you have for Blader and Blue-Eyes when you've got _that_?_

--

"Kyle! Please, do come in."

Kyle made his way into the moderately-sized office of Dr. Dawson. The psychologist – whose job title Kyle took great pains in remembering through the root word "psycho" – was a little older than his father, and a little more lean, too. His hairline was receding, and he had a well-trimmed mustache and goatee. When Kyle had first met the man, he'd expected him to look like a modern Sigmund Freud and to be wearing a white lab coat and a surly expression. But no, his expression was never as severe as those pictures Kyle had seen of Freud, and he wore simple, plain clothing – not even anything dressy, just jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He also had a very easygoing nature. Kyle had quickly found out that the man was near-infinitely adaptable, a trait that he might consider inspiring if he wasn't being forced to come here every week.

This was one of those days.

"Care to have a seat, or would you prefer to stay on your feet?"

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "Which do you prefer?"

"I don't care," Dr. Dawson said candidly. "It's not about me, after all. It's about you."

"So you've said."

"And you still don't believe me?"

"I have a damned hard time believing anyone who seems so eager to cater to me."

"I'm not _catering_ to you, Kyle," Dawson said, a trace of amusement in his voice. "I'm just letting you know your options. They both have their advantages, you know. Standing allows you to pace around and get some exercise in while you're venting; sitting gives your feet and back a little time off." He leaned back in his chair. "Would it help you make a decision if I told you what I wanted?"

"Probably would."

"What's the point? After all, you would do the exact opposite, wouldn't you?"

"Hell, yes."

"Why would you do the opposite?"

"Because what you want just might not be what I want," Kyle responded, anger weaving through his tone. "Might not be a damned thing like what I want."

"So if I told you to sit down, you would stay standing precisely because I wanted you to sit down."

"You're catching on."

Dawson leaned forward again and laced his fingers. "All right, then. How long have you made choices that way?"

"What difference does it make?"

"I'm just curious. You don't have to tell me."

Kyle shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I don't know how long. I just know that's how I've been doing it."

"Has it brought you more wisdom to do things the way people don't want you to do them?"

Kyle scoffed. "Get to the goddamned point, Doc."

Dawson held his hands up in a gesture of peace. "I'm just asking."

"Then maybe I won't answer."

"Which is fine."

"And if I do...?"

"That's fine, too."

Kyle scowled.

Dawson rocked his head to one side. "Am I making you angry, Kyle?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you haven't told me which you prefer. This way..." Kyle held up one flat palm. "...or this." He held up the other.

"It doesn't matter to me whether you tell me or not," said Dawson.

"You don't care?"

"No."

"Then what the hell am I doing here?"

Dawson allowed a small smile. "I don't mean to say 'I don't care' as in 'I don't sympathize and I don't listen.' I say 'I don't care" as in 'It doesn't make any difference to me because I'm here to listen to whatever you have to say and help you work through it.'"

"Damn it, just tell me, sit or stand?"

"It doesn't matter what I tell you to do, Kyle, because you'll just do the opposite. Why don't _you_ make the choice?"

"What makes you think I should?"

"Well, isn't it _your_ body? _Your_ feet, tired or not? It should be _your_ decision. I'm not the person to make it for you."

Kyle stepped to one side of the office and leaned against the wall. "Wish more people were like you," he mumbled.

Dawson blinked, then grabbed a pen and took a few notes on his notepad. "Why? Why should more people be like me, Kyle?"

"'Cause then they wouldn't get on my damned case so much and try to make me do shit I don't want to do."

"People try to make you do things you don't want to do?"

"No, not only _try_, they _do_ make me do shit I don't want to do." Kyle sighed. "Well... they _did_. Until I started ignoring them and doing my own damned thing."

"But what _is_ 'your own thing'?" Dawson asked. "Doing the exact opposite of what everyone wanted?"

"Well... yeah..."

"So are you really ignoring them?"

"I'm _trying_, dammit," Kyle cursed. "_You_ try to ignore those damned fools."

"I would," Dawson smiled, "if not for the considerable paycheck I'm being afforded."

"Knew it." Kyle threw his hands up. "All you people care about is your goddamned money and making sure I have more than my fair share. What _is_ it with this fu–"

"Kyle," Dawson interrupted, "I want to make something _very_ clear to you right now, before you go any further. Yes, money is an important issue to me. It's how I earn my living. It's how I'm able to maintain this office and continue to do the thing I most love doing: talking to people like you and seeing them find better ways to curb or expel their anger. But money is not the focus here. I apologize if my joke offended you."

"About time _some_one said they were sorry for something," Kyle mumbled.

"Is that an issue of yours? Would you prefer more people offered you apologies?" Dawson's voice was once again calm and reasonable.

"Of course, dammit." Kyle slumped into one of the chairs. "I thought that kind of shit was pretty obvious by now, oh great analyst."

Dawson shrugged. "Just making sure we both know." He leaned forward. "You're an intelligent person, Kyle, mark my words. But sometimes you have a tendency to avoid seeing the solution even when it's right in front of you."

"Is that _my_ fault?"

"I don't know. What do you think?"

Kyle frowned.

And couldn't come up with an answer.

--

Kyle looked up from his desk and frowned. "What?"

"Yes, Egypt," said his father. For once, the man sounded enthused... Kyle hadn't heard that quality in his voice for a long time. "We'll be spending a few days in Cairo."

"What possible interest do you think I have in going to that god-forsaken place?" Kyle snorted, turning back to his notebook.

"I know better, Kyle, but I never asked you what your interests were in the matter, did I?" His father's tone of voice was decidedly smug. That, Kyle had heard many times in the course of his life.

"No, you didn't," Kyle mumbled. "You never do."

"Kyle, if I were to give you a choice, what would it be?"

"To stay here, of course."

"Exactly. You would deprive yourself of the experience. Just imagine it, Kyle... what if you were to put your doctoral skills to use in other countries? They would pay you more and tax you less. You wouldn't be able to lose." The man leered at his son.

"I don't care about being a doctor," Kyle mumbled.

"I suggest you start caring. Because that's the career you're going into. You need a future, son. Medicine is that future."

Kyle muttered several foul curses under his breath. His father heard only incoherent grumbling, but it was enough to let him know how much his son disapproved.

"Look, Kyle, let's face it; if you had it your way, you would let yourself languish and you'd never make any plans or decisions for yourself. You never have. You always talk about how you're going to do this and that, and you never do it unless someone pushes you to. Or at least, you'll do _some_thing if someone pushes you to. It seems like you'll always do the opposite, but in this case, reverse psychology isn't going to do anything. You need guidance, and I'm doing the best I can. But frankly, you're not helping with your constant arguing and petty rebellion."

"I don't _want_ guidance," Kyle muttered. "Why can't I just make my own damned mistakes? Surely you made some mistakes at my age."

"I did, I'll admit that. And I don't want to see my son go the same way. Have your things packed by tomorrow evening; we're leaving on Saturday."

--

Time seemed to move rather quickly after that. As it turned out, they were leaving a couple days before Kyle's school let out for winter vacation, so he had to gather his assignments before leaving. _Just as well. I hope they pile it on so that I can work on it on the plane and say I'm concentrating so I don't have to listen to any damned rants about me going into medicine._

It all blurred past him – the gathering of his assignments, the packing, the trip to the airport, the flashlights-turned-suppositories of airport security (this didn't go by so quickly, what with all the zippers Kyle liked to keep on his person), the wait for the plane... he concentrated on his schoolwork and his writings through most of it. A few times his parents tried to get him interested in brochures and whatnot, but he kept up his shield of surliness and hunkered even closer to his texts and notebooks. After a while, they gave up on it and were content to simply peruse the various magazines found on the plane.

They had to take a transfer flight in England. That took a little longer, as Kyle found himself running out of things to do – and worse, inspiration. He racked his brain and looked around, as if trying to find his muse somewhere in the terminal. At one point, he left his parents behind in search of a bookstore that might have something good to offer him. He found a pair of appealing fantasy novels and virtually pounced on them after purchasing them.

When they were back in the air, he ignored the majesty of London from a bird's eye in favor of one of his books. He'd already made it almost three-fourths of the way through by the time the announcement came that they would be landing in Cairo within the next half-hour. He idly chewed on a piece of gum to keep the air pressure in his ears equalized as they descended, his mind intensely focused on the plot of the story. _This shit's great... maybe I can take a few clues from this author..._ He rummaged through his carry-on case and dug out his notebook to take a few notes.

"Kyle, we're almost there," his father said, hints of amusement and irritation both in his voice. "Don't you think this would be the time to put your things away so we can get off the plane that much more quickly?"

"In first-class seats, we'll be the first ones out anyway," Kyle said. "Besides, it's just a damned notebook and pen. I can hold them myself. Lay off."

"Kyle, would you _please_ at least _try_ to control your language?" his mother hissed.

"Why?" he sneered. "First-class seats don't mean first-class mouth. You wanted me along, this is how I'm going to be. Deal with it."

She paused for a moment, then nodded in contentment. "Better."

He blinked and frowned at that for a moment, then scoffed and shook his head as the realization dawned on him: he hadn't cursed in response.

--

Getting off the plane, out of the airport, and to their hotel seemed an eternity, as compared to everything else that had already happened on this trip – or so it seemed to Kyle, who finished his first book and couldn't focus on the second one due to the luggage he had to carry around with both hands.

"Can you believe it?" his mother enthused, as they made their way through the traffic in a rental car. "We're actually in Egypt!"

_La-de-freaking-da_, Kyle thought, staring idly out the window. He didn't think his parents were expecting a response from him, and on this point he was correct; in fact, they didn't really want to hear one, considering the negative responses they'd gotten to such questions before.

"Where do you think we ought to go, dear?" his father asked.

"Pyramids of Giza. Definitely. No question," she answered. "And definitely some market shopping. It wouldn't be right to leave here without a few souvenirs."

His father nodded agreeably. "All right, then. How about we visit the market tomorrow, about noon, and then go visit the pyramids in the evening? I hear the desert looks rather spectacular when the sun's on the horizon."

Kyle rolled his eyes._ Goody, just what I need. There'd better be some interesting shit in that market._

--

"Hurry or we'll be caught!"

"Oh, come on. We've got time still."

"No way. Patrols are coming back. We can move more of these rocks tomorrow."

"We need more men to do it with. And not old weaklings; some young, strong men."

"What the hell do you think this is? We're in this for ourselves. You want to divvy up the profits a dozen ways instead of half a dozen?"

"There's no other way we'll be able to get at whatever's in there."

"And what is it you want me to do? Just go up to guys in the market and say, 'Hey, we're ripping off a cave, wanna come along?'"

"Find the right guy and it might turn him on."

"That's called a necrophiliac. I'm staying away from people like that."

"Just making a point."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. But if they even say anything about turning us in..."

"Put that away, Rieger. I know what has to be done."

"Good. Let's get out of here before the patrols start snooping."

--

The men didn't know. They couldn't have known. The rocks occluded anything and everything on the other side from sight. But if they could have seen, they might have run screaming from where they worked.

Because a humanoid construct of stone was stirring not two meters away from the work site.

At its feet was the one item it had been created to watch over.

And the item was glowing.

--

_What might tomorrow bring? Who knows? Well, I do! *grins* Pretty dramatic, huh? I dunno. You decide. That's what that Go button down there is for! Please use it and review! And please do not subject me to any sort of bodily, emotional, or spiritual harm, because then I'll just keep the secret to myself!_


	6. Digging In Darkness

_A/N: Allrighty, then! Here's the next chapter, where you, my esteemed and valued readers, get to see just what the heck Kyle's up to on the other side of the planet. Relative to some of us, anyway. *wink* This one's a bit late in coming out, sorry... finals week + work + the annoying need for sleep and food = one huge inconvenience._

_Penny: Confusion is good? Hmm, okay... in that case, I hope this chapter confuses you even more...?_

_Skraku: Giant Twizzler of Doom? That's a new one on me. I'll occasionally hear about the Frying Pan of Doom, but never a Twizzler. Good to know a creative mind like yours is reading!_

_Monica: Matt had no plans for pyramid exploration, as Matt has never visited the pyramids (nor Egypt) and is usually much too lazy to gather information on them, though it would be a simple task. He might take exception, however... he might._

_Lumen: *grins* Muchas gracias. Don't worry about it, just as long as I know you're reading, I'm fine with whatever you have to say._

_Wolf: Nope, I've decided that my Paladin looks cooler than yours. He's not really all that hunched over, he's just craning his neck. And he's in a battle pose, too. *grins* A thousand points for me!_

_Okay, enough rambling from me. Enjoy the chapter!_

-------

When they reached the hotel that day, Kyle felt completely and utterly trashed. They had crossed nearly a dozen time zones in their transatlantic flight and now it was daytime much, much earlier than it had a right to be. _Jet lag sucks_, he thought. So when they finally got their room, Kyle made a show of sprawling out on his bed – which was far more comfortable than he had expected it to be.

His parents, of course, were still enthused to be here, so they had decided to leave Kyle in peace while they gathered brochures and made travel plans to various locations. Three tickets to virtually everything, of course. Kyle had known that would be the case from the start – his parents would find some time when all three of them preferred he not be around to sulk, and then they would gather the tickets to go to every exhibit in existence, three tickets per exhibit, whether Kyle wanted to go or not.

_Dad was right about one thing… given the choice, I'd have stayed at home._ Figuring that there was nothing he could do about it anyway, Kyle had chosen to simply fall asleep on that nice, comfy bed.

--

His dreams were anything but pleasant. Mostly they seemed to consist of blades and gold and red fluid… he couldn't really make out many specific details, but one that seemed to stand out was an eyeball. A huge one. Staring intently at him. Waiting for something, it seemed.

But for what, he had no idea.

It just stared at him. Hovering above him, colorless… it looked down at him.

There was no measure of emotion in it. Later, he would have to concede that it was sometimes difficult to convey emotion in an eye when there are no eyelids surrounding it, but for now, he could only stare back and wonder why it was there.

The eye didn't frighten him, really. He regarded it as more of a curiosity than anything else. It was an oddity, an anomaly in his dreams, and little more than that. So here, he simply stood there and stared back into it, let its gaze penetrate him and shrink him down to nothing, only to let him re-form and them constantly shift him into bizarre proportions.

As if it wished to undergo the same experience, the eyeball also shifted into bizarre proportions; the effect was something akin to going into the mirrored room of a fun-house. The eye's outline shifted from its spherical shape to an oval, and then on to a light bulb, then a pyramid, then a humanoid, then a dodecahedron, then a carrot, and then a cube.

At the square shape, it abruptly stopped, hovered for another moment, and then slowly spun around several times, as if trying to emphasize the point that it was a white, vein-laced cube with a giant lens protruding from one side.

Kyle awoke from the dream – not abruptly, but rather at the preferred slow, almost torpid rate that most people concede is the way to wake up. His eyes blinked open, and his brow furrowed for a few moments. _Hm. That was strange._

Then he got up and went to take a shower.

--

The next day found the McCraines spending time touring exhibit after exhibit. His parents were especially interested in the tablets which bore hieroglyphics – and in this place, there were indeed many of those – while he found himself more fascinated with the items in the gift shops. One item which caught his eye was a scarab necklace; it was comprised of a pendant on a thin gold chain and a scarab-shaped sapphire inset into a ridged circle of gold.

He couldn't help but scoff as he was transfixed by it. _So it really is true what they say... if it's shiny, tourists will buy it. Damned nuisance. No wonder places like this manage to keep up with costs._

Nevertheless, he bought the necklace, and kept it well-hidden under his dark shirt.

Towards the afternoon, his parents resolved to spend some time on one of the grand markets, rather than simply perusing trinkets at various gift shops. His mother wanted clothing and his father wanted some exotic souvenir to take back to his office and put on his desk, or some such. Of course, Kyle wasn't interested in going along with either of them. For this, they made a concession.

"Kyle, I know you'd prefer not to be here at all," his father said. "But please do at least try to take the time to enjoy yourself. If that means going off by yourself, that's fine; you're old enough, I think, to be able to find your way back to the parking lot."

Kyle rolled his eyes. _The only time he's ever admitted I'm old enough or mature enough for something..._

"Tell you what, Kyle. You can go off all you like, but come back by 7 p.m. If you don't, we'll just go back to the hotel ourselves – you have enough money for cab fare – and wait for you there. We don't have anywhere else to go today."

Kyle scoffed, but then said, "All right, fair enough. Just leave me to my damned self."

His father seemed prepared to comment on the foul language, but apparently thought better of it and instead traipsed off down one of the market lanes with his wife. For a few moments, Kyle simply stood there and watched them go. _Wow. They're actually leaving me to myself._ Then he glanced at his surroundings and rolled his eyes. _In a market this huge, no less. Not that I've got any damned interest in shopping... still..._ _way easier to get lost here than back home._

So he began to drift away from his parents. He figured they'd probably anticipated his sulkiness from the start – he'd certainly displayed enough of it on previous trips to warrant suspicion for this trip – and were planning on leaving him by himself at some point. As he walked along, he found himself remembering a trip to New York City, where he hadn't come back to the car at the appropriate time... and when he got back to the hotel, his parents had already locked the deadbolt for the night.

He ground his teeth at that memory. _Oh, yeah, damned fond one, that was._

He'd finally decided to just get his own room in that place; there were plenty of vacancies, and it gave him a chance to be away from his parents. The only thing that had truly ticked him off was that his notebooks and writing materials were still in their room. He'd taken to writing on the notepad on the bedside table, but had filled that within an hour's time.

Of course, when the next morning came, they found out he'd gotten another room and reamed him up one side and down the other for not simply calling their room from the front desk. He'd responded with, "Didn't seem like it was worth the effort."

He chuckled at that memory. _Now, that was the truth if I ever told it._

He found a row of kiosks selling ornamental weaponry; daggers, swords, scimitars, the like. He stopped for several moments to admire these. He could appreciate the intricately ornamented hilts and scabbards, but he doubted if he could appreciate the edges of the blades themselves. They weren't meant to do harm... they were merely eye candy, meant to hang there and look pretty.

"I especially like that one."

Kyle glanced to his right; the one that had spoken was a rough-looking American gentleman with a short, bristly beard and a certain aura that declared him to be something other than warm and inviting. He was pointing at a wide-bladed scimitar mounted on the rear wall of the kiosk. When Kyle glanced back at it, he noted the scimitar and its scabbard hung separately, and the blade of the weapon appeared to be made entirely of solid gold. The price tag certainly seemed to back that up.

Kyle shrugged at it. "The price tag isn't that damned great for the practical purposes swords were meant for. It isn't really worth it."

"Oh?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"Elemental property. Gold is too damned soft to be used in a weapon more than a few times. You'd want shit that could cut consistently."

"True. But I prefer something that pulls down a high price."

"Well, then, if you buy it, be damned sure it stays in a cold place. Otherwise the blade'll warp and melt and it depreciates. Hell, I wouldn't doubt if it was melting right now, all this damned heat."

"I'll keep that in mind." The man regarded Kyle for a moment. "Speaking of all this 'damned heat', you must be sweating your ass off in that black clothing. Didn't anyone tell you it's hot here?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "I prefer it. I don't really want to be here anyway."

"That's what I thought," the man said. "You had the expression of someone who was here against his will. So why _are_ you here, then?"

"Damned enforced vacation," he grumbled. "I'm told I'm supposed to enjoy myself."

"Yet you're not, I can tell that."

Kyle didn't feel like continuing the conversation. "If you buy the sword, keep it cool." He turned away.

"Actually, I've already got a cold place staked out for my little visit."

"Really." Kyle saw little point in faking interest; he began to move up the promenade.

"I need some strong men," the man called out. "And men who have nothing better to do."

That caught Kyle's attention. He slowed, then stopped and turned around.

"Interested?" the man asked.

"What have you got in mind you'd need someone like me for?" Kyle inquired.

"I'm heading up an excavation team," the man said smoothly. "Where we are right now, we need some strong young men for heavy lifting of various sorts." He beckoned. "Come walk with me and I'll tell you more, if you like."

Kyle frowned. "Why me?"

"You're bored, you're not enjoying yourself, and what I can see of your build suggests you could help me... if you wanted to." He shrugged. "You might find this activity worthwhile. At the very least, it'll give you something to do, and a chance to get further away, whatever it is you're running from."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. _This guy's good. Damned good._

And he walked with the stranger.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Kyle."

"Good to meet you, Kyle. I'm Rieger."

--

Rieger told Kyle about the cave he was digging into, told him about the minimum support he had at the moment... how he had few resources and these days, it had come down to just throwing ropes around huge boulders and pulling back with all their might. Kyle asked after machinery, but Rieger said that he couldn't bring bulky industrial equipment out – something about pollution regulations.

"Mostly it's just a bunch of guys out there, sweating their asses off while they try to move a bunch of big rocks," said Rieger. "That's what it's boiled down to, anyway. We don't need to do any drilling or anything like that. This cave collapsed a long time ago, but its new ceiling has held up well enough since then. We're just pulling the boulders out of the way to take a look at what's in there."

"If there's air flow into the cave, wouldn't that mean that all the shit inside's been eroded?" Kyle asked.

"Not necessarily. Some artifacts don't fade away so easily. Some things could have been buried and preserved under sand or mud. Besides, it's not as if tourists have been popping in and out of there all these years."

"Any idea how long ago the cave collapsed?"

"Still trying to pin down the exact date, but it's been thousands of years, we know that much."

Kyle frowned and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "How long will it take to get inside?"

"No idea. My cohorts are out recruiting other people to do the same. The more we get, the faster it goes. Hopefully we'll have about a dozen or so people to do it with. If we have that many, we might get inside as quickly as by nightfall."

"That quickly? How close are you to getting all the debris out of the way?"

"We're figuring maybe about two or three meters yet on one of the caverns. There are several passages in the cave, but that's about the last one. The others, we're dusting for trinkets. If we can't push the rocks out of the way, we do have some equipment to help out. It's hardly high-tech, but it works."

"Sledgehammers and picks, right?" Kyle sneered. "The old prison setup."

"You've got it."

"Nice," the teen scoffed. "You're recruiting me for maybe four or five hours' work total in order to make the work progress faster? And you're so close already? What the hell do you need someone like me to speed up your progress for if you're already so close?"

"We're impatient men," Rieger answered simply. "We like to find what we can find as quickly as we can possibly find it."

"With bare hands and low-tech tools?"

Rieger shrugged. "It's what we've got. I know it's not what you might prefer, but on the other hand, think about what's in there."

Kyle raised an eyebrow.

"Well, c'mon, it's not like I wouldn't compensate you. Whatever we find in there, we'll dig up and sell to museums... that'd get us a fortune, and it'd likely get you out from whatever shadow's looming over you."

"Depending on what artifacts we find there. If any at all. It might just be a cave full of nothing but the damned air. Where's the compensation for that?"

"No fear." Rieger grinned. "There'll be goodies inside, I can feel it. And if there aren't, you'll still be given a reward for your time. But trust me, I've never done a shoot-and-miss before. I always hit the mark."

Kyle scoffed again. "If you say so. When do we start?"

Rieger checked his watch. "The sooner, the better. We can go out there right now, if you'd like. I've already recruited my share of men."

"Fine, then, if you're so impatient, let's stop wasting time and get the hell out there."

Rieger chuckled. "Very well, then."

--

The excavation site was quite a distance from any roads, requiring the use of a dune buggy. Kyle felt rather suspicious of Rieger – _hell, I'm suspicious of the whole damned operation_ – but it gave him a chance to get further away than he would have dreamed possible... and that was an encouraging thought.

The site was at the base of an extremely steep incline, which could almost be considered a cliff-side. _Maybe it was, once_, Kyle mused, as they approached the cave entrance.

There were several men already standing at or inside the entrance, bearing various low-tech tools. They were covered in perspiration (and little else, considering the heat in which they were working), and their expressions were apprehensive, as if they were expecting something bad, or worse... expecting nothing at all. They varied in age, but only one or two seemed to be even close to what one would consider "middle age" – most seemed to range in their twenties. Kyle abruptly wondered if Rieger had taken him to be older than he looked. _Hm, maybe the cigarettes are having that effect..._

"All right, let's get to work," Rieger encouraged. "Feel free to discard your shirt; this is hard work, no mistake. It's cooler inside the cave, but not by that much."

A small frown creased Kyle's brow. He saw the logic in what Rieger said, but he didn't much feel like taking off his shirt just to have everyone else gawk at his extensive tattoos. _Besides, I burn too damned easily._ He approached a small tent that appeared to be the base for the working materials and peered inside. _A few picks, a couple hammers... hmm, I think I'll take a pick for now._

"Kyle, I'm going into one of the other passageways. Let me know if you need me, all right?" said Rieger.

Kyle grunted in acknowledgment as he entered the cave. _Rieger was right... the cave's much cooler than it is out there._ He searched for the particular passage that Rieger had mentioned, figuring that to be the one he wanted his men to be working on, anyway. It was easily identified by three men pounding away at what seemed like a dead end. One of them glanced at Kyle, grunted, and asked, "New recruit?"

Kyle nodded wordlessly.

"Hnh. Well, good. We need a pick in here anyway. We're going for the lower edge of this boulder here, see the line we're making?" The man pointed out the jagged outline of the bottom of the massive rock, which had several obvious chips in it. "We're trying to get under there so that gravity'll be on our side when we try to pull it out of the way."

"Pull it? And what, get ourselves turned into damned pancakes? I saw this in an _Indiana Jones_ movie once," Kyle scoffed.

"Got a better idea?"

"Not offhand, but I doubt if there are many worse ones."

"Har har. Just help us out."

Kyle snorted, but did as he was told and started chipping away at the bottom of the rock.

--

The item was sensing the nearness of people. Some with indifference, and some with malicious intent.

It burned gold, desperate to find a master that would protect it. All it had was the stone construct, and if that awoke and bore down on the intruders, it would simply collapse the cave... _again_.

It did not need to be buried further. It needed a new fate to bind itself to.

The others already had bearers. As long as the protection cast on them was maintained, they were safe. But as for itself... now that its power was beginning to awaken, they would be able to sense it once more.

The guardian, the Shadow creature, could only protect it for so long.

And when that protection failed, what would happen to it then?

It needed to be released.

-------

_A/N: Okay, that's all for this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one, where at last, the mysteries of the cave are revealed! The suspense, the drama! The reviews! ... Oh, wait, there aren't any for this chapter yet. *shamelessly begs for reviews*_


	7. Lair of True Intent

_A/N: And so starts the next installment. Enjoying? I hope so. Let me know._

_Monica: Foreshadowing? Perhaps. By the way, I don't hate any single pop-up the most. I hate them all._

_Penny: Soon-ness enough-ness? No beating me over the head with any bizarre object to which you've attached the words "Of Doom", onegai._

_Count-Hagane: Jim...? I don't see any Jim... *searches through fic and gets lost, returns with eyebrows raised* Hm. I guess you're referring to Kyle. But I came up with the eye thing on my own._

_Ankhutenshi: Okay, okay, gomen nasai for nagging you. Take all the time you need on the next one. I love the analysis of your reviews. You show insight and thoughtfulness, which I appreciate. Deja vu, huh?_

_Wolf: *sweatdrop* Somewhat like the Big 5 and yet nothing like the Big 5? As Foxworthy says, "You can't argue with that!"_

-------

Two long, hard hours of hacking away at the rock on all sides had brought them a crevice perhaps three centimeters deep on the underside, and not much more than that on the sides and top. Kyle was beginning to see it as wasted effort, and he was silently cursing at the rather sizeable blisters that were developing on his hands. _Can't they at least get some damned comfort grips on these things?!_

Nevertheless, the man in charge of that particular operation seemed pleased by what he saw, and referred to it as "excellent progress". At several points over the course of that time, Rieger came to inspect the so-called progress being made. On his last visit, he'd rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "We should be able to get in there tonight!"

Kyle had raised an eyebrow at the man's enthusiasm. Perhaps he was a bit young and a bit naive to appreciate the thoughts of what treasures might lie ahead, but on the other hand, he didn't want to get hopeful just yet. _For all I know, there's nothing but a shitload of petrified locust skins back there. Then I'll get paid minimum wage for slave labor, along with a little pat on the ass – "Better luck next time!" Yeah freaking right._

The sun was beginning to settle on the horizon, and things seemed to be moving more quickly. The men were putting their backs into the work twofold now, and even Kyle, in the middle of his own sulkiness, noticed the speed with which they were working. He chose not to comment on it, though. _It makes one wonder, but I'm pretty sure I know already... Rieger isn't legit, and he just gets a kick out of snaring poor asses in the marketplace to do his dirty work for him. And I'll bet patrols come by regularly to make sure no one digs on their ground. I'll bet that's it. I'll bet that's it._

He hesitated for a moment at that thought. _Wonder if I should say anything. The worst he could do if I did would be to kill me... not like I'm so damned keen on sticking around anyway. Joke would be on him if he did. On the other hand, if I end up royally screwing myself over by accusing him of something that turns out to be false, he'd probably end up tossing my ass out to the desert, regardless._

He rolled his eyes and continued to hack away at the blasted rock. _Bleh, I'll cross that muddy river when I get to it. No evidence one way or the other. For all I know, they just want to get goodies before it gets dark out._

A mere five minute later found Kyle and one of his compatriots changing their weapons from picks to hammers. They were pounding eyebolt stakes into the rock, hopefully so that they could pull it out and peek into the interior of that closed space beyond.

Kyle groused as he drove his spike into the boulder. _They don't even have a drill to do this with? Really, how low-tech can you get? No heavy equipment out here, and if this was a legit excavation, one would think there'd be some decent machinery. Doesn't bode well for my view of Rieger. If the man wants to dig, the least he could do is go through the proper channels._

Within half an hour, four stakes had been driven into the rock, and sturdy ropes had been looped through each. Three men each took a rope, and on Rieger's direction, they began to pull as hard as they possibly could.

At first, it seemed to have no effect at all. Kyle was growing more discontent by the second, but still he pulled away. _I can't expect anything of what's back there. But if I'm gonna do this, I may as well go all the way on it._

It budged.

First to one side, then to the other.

The men began to whoop in joy, and spurred by their effort, they conjured up strength many of them weren't even aware they possessed. Kyle tried his best to do the same.

--

Malice. Greed. Falsity.

It wanted none of any of these, yet it seemed that all who sought it – or rather, whatever was within the space, and in this case, that included it – were possessed of at least one of these traits.

It could not bind itself to any of their fates and hope for its survival. And if it could not survive, nor would its brethren, outcast from them though it was.

There seemed to be only one choice... and one choice was no choice at all.

The creature would have to awaken once more. And it would have to collapse the cave once more.

It wasn't fair. Soon enough, _they_ would come looking for it, spurred on by the efforts of a few robbers – the creature could only protect it for so long against them before it failed.

And then it would be taken.

Surely there was another way.

--

Centimeter by centimeter, inch by inch, the boulder crept forward. They never truly gained momentum over it, but this was something Kyle found himself preferring to the _Indiana Jones_ scene that kept wanting to replay through his mind.

A gap in the right side was developing, almost large enough to fit someone inside. Kyle could almost hear the rubbing sound of Rieger's hands against each other as he anticipated what goodies lay inside.

He rolled his eyes. _Probably thinking, "To the black market with you!" And here I am, acting like I don't give a shit. I guess I ought to... but I can't figure out why. Guess I've got no reason to._

The boulder caught on something.

Almost in unison, everyone gave an extra jolt to their pull, as if somehow, that would get it to continue on its path towards them and away from whatever treasure lay beyond. But in this case, it wasn't as simple as giving a little harder tug; the boulder was truly stuck, and stuck it would stay, it seemed, for the rest of the evening.

The men groaned collectively, and a couple of them seemed about ready to throw down the ropes and demand their payment from Rieger right then and there. Rieger, for the most part, still seemed calm and collected about the business, and he urged them all to calm themselves. He approached the rock and inspected it for several moments, then looked back at them. "If we can pull out the right side just a bit further, we might be able to get someone in there."

"Gimme a break, Rieger," one man groused. "There's no way we can pull the damned thing out any further."

"Have faith, my friend," Rieger said calmly. "All I'm asking is another two or three inches. We can get someone in there sideways if we can manage another two or three inches."

The men grumbled, but only for a moment or two. Then they took up the two ropes staked into the right side of the boulder and began to pull again.

It was a bit easier pulling on one side than on the entire thing, as they soon found out. With perhaps three minutes' effort, they had all but reached Rieger's maximum goal of three inches.

Rieger smirked triumphantly upon close inspection of the crack, and he turned to look at the men again. "Would one of you care to do the honors?"

None of them seemed particularly thrilled with the prospect. Silence reigned in the cavern for a few moments. Rieger ended up having to fish for a volunteer. "Kyle? Perhaps you might help us out? You actually seem to be among the thinnest of us, I think you'd be able to get through the space more easily."

Kyle snorted. "Fine, long as you come with me."

"Fair enough."

"Hn." Kyle approached the crack. Rieger offered him a flashlight, which he gladly took. _Last thing I need is to go so damned blind back there I can't see this guy or what he's up to. At the very least, I'll get to see his true colors if we actually do find anything._

Rieger gestured toward the crack. "Go on ahead."

Kyle shook his head. "No way. You first."

Rieger shrugged. "If you insist." And with that, he wedged his way through the crevice.

Kyle frowned as he watched; the feeling that he was on some sort of crossroads coursed through him. _I could just leave and let someone else do it. No one'd give a damn one way or the other, I'll bet. After all, I don't much want to go back there._

_ ...eh. I can't wuss out all my life. If nothing else, I'll do it for that._

And with that, he made his way through the crack.

--

They were almost on top of it now. If it was truly possessed of emotions, it might have panicked, but as it in itself did not truly have a "mind", it did no such thing. If an inanimate object could be distressed, then so be it; it was slightly distressed. But it was not panicked. Such severe emotion was beyond its grasp.

There were two of them.

One had nothing but greed and contempt in his heart. No, he would not do at all, not at all. If he found it, he would take it from this place only to sell for profit. This, it could not allow.

But the other...

The other bore disillusionment. He was cynical. Pained. He projected malice out of a need for pretense and a desire for distance, not out of actual hatred.

But there was no greed in his heart. Only a desire to be who he chose to be.

A desire to find his own destiny.

And shield it.

Yes... yes, he very well might be the one who would hold its fate in his hands.

He might be the one to protect it.

Not that it had much choice in the matter... the creature was even now sensing the spite of the others, awakening because of it.

It was time to make a choice.

And it chose this troubled young soul.

--

When Kyle finally made it into the cavern, it was pitch black. He hurriedly hit the switch on his flashlight and looked around. There was Rieger, standing against the boulder, supposedly to avoid stepping on anything valuable. Kyle frowned. "No flashlight?"

"I'm used to darkness," Rieger answered.

Kyle shook his head. "Too damned dark for me."

"Considering your clothing, I would have thought you enjoyed–"

"_Oh, shit..._"

Rieger blinked at Kyle's outburst, and noted that the boy's eyes were trained on the ground. When Rieger looked at where Kyle was staring, all he did was blink in mild surprise.

Half-buried under rocks and sand was a decomposed skeleton. The right side of the skull's forehead had been crushed, presumably in the collapse of the cave around whoever this person had been.

Human bones littered the ground all over this small area. Kyle could see at least two more skulls, as well as segments of a shattered ribcage. He shuddered. "God... we stepped into a goddamned _tomb_..."

"I thought we might find something of the sort here," Rieger said. "After all, this cave did _collapse_. For all we knew, it collapsed on people. And now we know that it did." His eyes flitted around, looking for the faintest glint of Egyptian treasures.

Kyle stared at Rieger in disbelief. "How can you be so goddamned calm about this?"

"They're dead, Kyle. They can't harm you."

"I know they're _dead_! And walking around in someone's grave is like..." Kyle shuddered again. "Like some kind of freaking _sacrilege_."

"If you're disturbed by it, you're free to leave at any time," Rieger noted. "But until then, I would thank you to help me in this search. That's why you came, isn't it?"

Kyle blinked rapidly, rubbed at his eyes, and tried to calm himself. His heartbeat had skyrocketed, and sweat was pouring out of him. He wanted to pretend he was okay with this. _But I'm not. I'm almost scared shitless..._

Rieger sighed at the frozen teen. "Look, Kyle, if you're not going to do anything with that flashlight, how about you hand it over here, hm? There might be something I'm missing. I need to take a look at these rocks over here..."

Kyle wordlessly handed over the light to Rieger and stood there in the darkness, completely unsure of what to do.

And then he felt something.

What he felt, he couldn't explain, but whatever it was, it made him frown.

It was like... intuition. Some sort of awareness, on another level, maybe. Perhaps unconscious knowledge rising to the surface.

Maybe it was a premonition. Maybe it was an omen. He had no idea. But whatever it was, his eyes, seemingly of their own volition, flicked down to the first skeleton he'd seen.

Something was glinting underneath those rocks.

His frown grew deeper. Surely he or Rieger would have seen it before. He'd played the light very clearly across that spot, and there was virtually no light falling on it now.

Yet something was glimmering down there.

His body overpowered his brain as he got to his knees and began to dig for whatever the item was.

Rieger heard the scrabbling and glanced back at Kyle. He frowned. "What're you doing?"

"I saw something," Kyle muttered, clawing through the debris. His fingers brushed across crushed and rotting bones, and he tried – but failed – to suppress a shudder. Yet he didn't stop, but instead brushed the bones aside.

Rieger shone the flashlight in Kyle's direction, to see more clearly what it was the boy thought he was digging up.

And when it was revealed moments later, both of them forgot to breathe for several moments.

Kyle had just dug up a shield composed of solid gold.

Rieger blinked, and then a wide grin appeared on his face. "Excellent work, Kyle, truly marvelous. Go on and pick it up, and we'll take it out of here."

A slight frown creased Kyle's brow. Rieger blinked again. "What is it?"

"I just... I feel like... we should leave it here."

Rieger shook his head. "No way, Kyle. You're not thinking straight. What was the point of coming out here if you're not going to make any money off the venture?"

"I... I don't..."

"Kyle, c'mon. Pick it up."

Kyle shook his head. "No... I can't..."

"Kyle."

"I can't, Rieger, I just can't."

_Click._

Kyle's frown deepened, and he looked up at Rieger.

Then his eyes filled with horror.

"Oh, shit," he muttered.

Behind the gun, Rieger smiled grimly. "That's the second time you've said that, Kyle. One would think you enjoyed cursing your mouth off. But trust me, if you don't pick that piece of gold up and hand it to me, then you'll be adding to this collection of skeletons."

Kyle tried to say something, but nothing would come out. And worse, he was frozen in place by the sight of the barrel poised directly above his eyes.

"All that's left in this cave are dead bodies and lost memories," Rieger said quietly. "If you feel like adding to them, I'm more than happy to help in that matter. But either you're going to get that billion-dollar trinket off the ground, or you're going to die. Either way, it's going to happen very, very quickly."

Kyle's hands shuddered uncontrollably, but they shot down to the shield and pried it out from the caked dirt and debris.

--

He was being threatened.

Its one and only chance for protection, for survival, was sitting on his knees, holding it in his hands.

His life was in danger.

That much, it understood. The means of danger did not matter. That he was in danger was enough.

For ages, it had lain dormant here, in this cavern, with nothing but the Shadow creature to watch over it. Now it was awake, and the only one who might be able to protect it was about to die.

It could not allow this.

It _would_ not allow this.

And so, to this threat, the Millennium Shield offered its answer.

-------

_Don't hurt me. I had to make it a cliffie. This is why I'm a suspense writer. Take a few moments – even a few days, if you need – to gather your thoughts and send in your comments and opinions, which are greatly desired, highly valued, and most welcome._


	8. Sands of Change

_A/N: *gets pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables* Augh! Augh! Okay, okay, okay! New chappie sooner than usual! Actually, I'm trying to get to a certain point before New Year's. If I make it to that goal, I'll let you all know. And then we can celebrate both New Year's and my accomplishment. Yay._

_Wolf: Well, yes, Millennium Shield is a very nice card IRL. I hope to have it someday. Anybody out there with one willing to trade me for it?_

_Skraku: *turns from blue to purple* Allrighty, my friend, I think you made your point. I'll have to write more evil cliffies. Trust me, there WILL be more. But before they come out, I'm gonna have to make sure your hands are occupied!_

_Monica: Nitpicking is acceptable. And since you didn't hurt me, I won't hurt you. Sound fair?_

_Ankhutenshi: Augh, that's the worst threat possible, coming from you! Will this chapter make it better?_

_Penny: Continuation! Good?_

-------

Kyle held up the shield by its outline, held it between himself and the gun barrel, as if by some miraculous happenstance, the gold of the shield was strong enough (and the strength in his arms great enough) to deflect a bullet.

Suddenly, a great light emanated from the shield, so very brilliant that both Kyle and Rieger cried out at the sight of it and turned away from it. Kyle clenched his eyelids shut, but it wasn't enough to block out the light, it was too bright, too bright–

The light faded, leaving both Kyle and Rieger blind. Kyle shuffled around, clawing toward the boulder – _lemme just get back through, all I need to do is get out of here..._

_Clank._

Kyle frowned. His right arm had been flailing about, searching for some sort of purchase, and it had abruptly stopped in midair, held back by something. He pulled his arm back and struck out harder with it this time.

_CLANK._

His frown grew deeper, and he reached over with his left hand to find out what was going on here–

_Wait a minute. I'm reaching over... with my other hand? Wasn't I holding that shield?_

He tried to touch his right arm, but found that a slab of something cold and metallic was blocking it. His eyes grew wide as he realized what it was. _The shield's on my arm now. How the hell did it get there?_ He moved his arm around. _And why doesn't it weigh anything? I can't even feel anything there..._

He flipped his right arm over, palm up, and touched it carefully. There were now two thick leather straps tightly encircling his forearm – one just below his elbow, one around his wrist. There seemed to be no buckle to either one, and when he felt along the straps, he could find no bolts or any other method to account for the straps' connection to the shield. It was almost as if the straps had somehow been... melted or merged with the interior side.

An earsplitting sound resounded within the cavern. It was the crackling, crunching, scraping sound of rock against rock, stone against stone.

Another bright light appeared within the space. Kyle looked up at it–

It looked like a statue of brick. Its limbs, its torso, its head were all blockish... cubes of perfectly cut stone. Right down to the fingers on its gigantic hands, everything was cubic, precise.

And in the center of the square headpiece was a carving of a single, massive eye. It was from this eye that the light was pouring out.

Kyle stared into it, confused. _You... you're familiar... but from where?_

_ The dream._

_ The square eye._

_ Coincidence?_

These thoughts never reached his lips. Because the statue was no longer a statue. It was a living thing.

It was moving. That was where the rock-crunching sound was coming from; as impossible as it seemed, the sound was coming from this statue that was _moving_.

As if it were _alive_.

And the more Kyle stared at it, the more he became convinced – it was.

It bent over slightly – though how this was possible for a pile of bricks, Kyle had no clue – and stared down at the shield in his hands.

The shield began to glow again. This time, it was only the front of it, but Kyle knew that it was glowing from the way the light was being projected onto the statue, as well as Rieger.

_Rieger..._

Rieger was simply standing there, mouth agape, just as unsure as Kyle was of what to make of the situation. His gun was lying discarded on the cavern floor; presumably he'd dropped it on sight of the creature that now stood before them both. He was frozen in place, just standing there against the wall.

Kyle dared to peer over the top edge of the shield, to see what was going on. He was almost blinded, but he could make out some sort of eye-shaped symbol across the front, similar to the eye that adorned the head of the statue-creature.

Abruptly, the statue looked back at Kyle, and then raised one of its massive fists.

Kyle flinched and leapt to one side, hoping to avoid the blow–

The fist shattered the boulder behind him into a million pieces. Kyle could hear the men screaming – _surprised, I'll bet, maybe they got hit with rock-shrapnel_ – and he felt like joining them, but he knew it would ultimately be a useless and pointless endeavor. He hadn't yet been harmed, though there certainly seemed to be plenty of opportunities for that at this point.

Rieger began to shout incoherently, and he reached down for his gun.

The statue spun around, faster than Kyle would have thought possible, and smacked Rieger aside with its massive, blocky hand. Kyle heard an awful squishing noise, something he instinctively clenched his eyes shut against.

At that point, his legs seemed to do all the thinking for him. He got to his feet and ran out of there as fast as he possibly could, tripping over rocks and fallen men along the way, but never stopping, never stopping.

Behind him, he could hear loud crunching noises, and he glanced over his shoulder.

The statue was pounding its fists against the ceiling of the cave.

His eyes widened. _It's going to collapse the cave on top of all those people... when it was just Rieger and maybe a crony or two who were the guilty ones... I'll bet they didn't know, either, just like I didn't..._

He wanted to go back, as insane as the thought was, and try to get some of the men out before their doom arrived, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. He continued to run, faster and faster, until he was completely out of the cave and just beyond the tent where they kept all their tools.

He heard the unmistakable sound of the ceiling of the cave falling in on itself, and he simply watched in horror as a cloud of dust was violently expelled from the mouth of the cave.

For several moments, Kyle could hear nothing except the sound of his own ragged breathing. His eyes scanned the mouth of the cave, searching desperately for any survivors; he wanted to approach, but again, his legs confounded this intent by locking the knees and then turning to jelly.

He saw movement.

One man. Then two, and then three. Crawling on hands and knees, making their way out of the cave. Bloody, clothes ripped.

But alive.

Steadily, more men came out; each successive one was worse off than the last, but they were all still breathing and mobile.

Rieger was not among them.

Kyle felt himself begin to shudder. He shuddered uncontrollably and sank to his knees.

_A man just died... and I was right there..._

_I have to get out of here..._

He looked back up at the men, the tent, the cave. Abruptly, he knew exactly what he had to do – like it was another kind of premonition or intuition. Control of his legs seemed to return to him, and he raced into the tent and grabbed the shirt he'd left there, frowning as he did so. _How very odd, to worry about my shirt when a man died... and especially when I've got this shield stuck on my–_

The shield wasn't on his arm anymore.

He scowled. _Where did that damned thing go?! Can't it decide where to put itself–?_

His necklace felt heavier. He growled and looked down at it. _Rocks catching in it or–_

_ Oh. What the hell?_

Next to the scarab on the necklace, there now sat a miniature version of the shield he'd been wearing just moments before.

The intuition hit him again. _Don't worry about it now, I can figure it all out later, just get out, GET OUT..._

His eyes flickered to the dune buggies. There were four of them, plenty enough for him to make off with one in order to get back to the city.

_This is insane_, he thought, as he got behind the wheel of one of the buggies. It still had the key inserted in the ignition. _Completely insane. Go back to the city and everything will be okay? How naive is that?_

But that didn't stop him from taking off.

--

It was well past the time his parents had set for him to get back to the van. He didn't have a watch with him, so he couldn't know for sure what time it was, except to say that it was sundown – the sun's last rays over the horizon were vanishing even now.

He left the buggy behind and wiped his fingerprints off the wheel. Whoever had it before would surely be looking for it, and even if it had belonged to Rieger, someone would be liable to try and track down who had their hands on it... He shook his head vigorously. _Too much to think about, too much to think about... just get back, back into the safety of others, get out of here, get home..._

He frowned at himself again. _Okay, now that's REALLY naive. Since when the hell do I start thinking like that? It's like I was a little kid or something..._

_ Shock. It must be shock. And going into denial. Wouldn't doubt it. After all, whoever sees a statue come to life and stays stable?_

_ Then again... who's to say just what the hell I saw, anyway? Rieger and I were the only ones back there. The cave could have collapsed on its own. But how would I explain the lights? The flashlight, maybe? Some trick it was playing on us. Scaring the hell out of both of us – I dunno anyone who isn't jumpy when a gun is involved – and then boom! The cave falls down._

_ So how do I explain the shield? Necklace? Shield? Bleh. Hallucinations, all of them. Yep, that's right, I hallucinated the entire thing._

_ Damn it, I need some sleep._

He did the only thing he really felt he could do.

He flagged a cab.

--

When he trudged through the door, he found his parents were sitting on their bed, cheerfully watching some random chick flick on an equivalent to Pay Per View. His father looked over at him, perhaps intent on giving him a disapproving glare for being late... or perhaps not, but whatever he was planning to do, he abruptly stopped when he saw the ashen look on his son's face. "Kyle? Is something wrong?"

"Uh." Kyle took a moment to remember how to speak. Then he shook his head slowly. "Nah. Nothing. Just tired. Mind's playing tricks on me."

"You need some sleep, son."

Kyle would have scoffed, except he felt too worn out to do so. Instead, he simply nodded and fell atop his bed.

He was asleep before he even struck the covers.

--

Needless to say, Kyle stayed with his parents over the remaining days of their vacation – stayed very close to them, even though that wasn't at all where he wanted to be. In the markets he would hear muttering and whispering, and occasionally the name "Rieger" would pop up. That was on local television, as well as on the tongues of the locals and the tourists.

His body had been found in the wreckage of that cave, after a couple of the men that had been working there had chosen to answer to their consciences and tell the authorities everything. Among other things, his gun was found there, as well, and apparently the weapon had been fired at least once; a single bullet was missing from the clip.

On this news, Kyle couldn't help but shudder. _And to think that bullet might have hit me..._

The reports were saying that perhaps it was the concussion of the gunshot that had caused the collapse. The ceiling of the cave had still been very unstable, they said, and was just waiting for something to give out. Thus the gunshot might have caused an avalanche effect.

Only one of the men who'd come forward had known he had the gun with him. It was an unregistered piece, and it became rather clear what Rieger's true intent was. According to the witness, he'd purposely called out people who looked as though they had little better to do, and then planned to get rid of them in order to get all the riches to himself and his cohort by selling their findings on the black market.

The ones who came forward apparently were intent on taking the blame off the others, who hadn't known anything about Rieger's plans. They claimed they were the only ones involved. But despite this, Kyle hoped he wouldn't have the distinct misfortune to run across any of those men in the exhibits or marketplaces.

He tried his best not to pay too much attention to those reports. He feigned disinterest. His father mentioned it once while they were at an exhibit, but only for a few moments. "Did you hear about those men out at the cliffside about twenty miles away from the outskirts? Tragic. I don't know what they were expecting to find in a cave like that; did they really think the ancient Egyptians would be foolish enough to go traipsing into such a dangerous place as that? Surely they had more sense."

"Yeah, sure," Kyle said, in a distracted manner. His eyes darted through the collections of jewel-encrusted gold pieces hidden under bulletproof glass. _Sure they did... those skeletons in there are proof of that, aren't they?_

No more was said about it, though. For this, at least, Kyle was grateful.

--

When they arrived at the airport to return to the U.S., Kyle felt the weight on his shoulders lessen somewhat. _Now I'll be far, far away from here... and hopefully I'll never have to come back._

But when he passed through the metal detectors, he was told to go back and remove all metal items from his person. He frowned. _What do I–? Oh. Yeah. The necklace._ He obediently removed the necklace, as well as some spare change he'd not bothered to convert to Egyptian money, and passed through the detector again. This time he was allowed to go through unhindered.

Almost as if on instinct, though, his hand shot out to the necklace and swept it up almost before anyone had a chance to see what it really was. His mother had caught a glimpse of it, however, and she watched Kyle curiously as he put it back on. "Those pendants are pretty, Kyle. Did you decide gold was more your color than silver and black?"

"Um?" Kyle glanced down at his necklace, which had both the scarab and the small, shield-like piece hanging side-by-side. He blinked for a moment, then said, "Yeah, sure. Gold's a good color. Looks good against a black shirt."

"That it does," she agreed, smiling.

He noticed the smile, and frowned slightly. "What?"

"Oh, nothing."

He blinked again, then shrugged. "If you say so."

They made their way through the terminal and waited to board the plane.

--

The return flight seemed both faster and slower than the flight to Egypt. It seemed faster in that Kyle chose to get some sleep during the flight to England, and ended up snoozing most of the way there. What time he didn't spend snoozing, he spent watching the in-flight movie. Ironically, it was _Raiders of the Lost Ark_, at which he could only roll his eyes, at first. _Like fate was conspiring against me or something. Oh, well. Might do better with some popcorn_.

After the movie was over, Kyle began to rummage through his carry-on. _If I don't find something else to do, Dad'll go on yet another rant about my future, and I'd just as soon avoid that, thank you very much..._

Sure enough, his father poked him in the side. "So, Kyle, have you given any more thought to what college you'll be attending?"

"Not really," Kyle said bluntly, as he grabbed his writing notebook.

"You ought to. Time's wasting away, and colleges like Oxford or Harvard or Yale won't hold their doors open forever."

"I'm not entirely sure why you think I'm looking at those colleges," Kyle responded.

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"Because those places are massively expensive and I don't have the money to go through their education programs." Kyle opened his notebook and grabbed a pen.

"Come now, Kyle, you know we would pay whatever fees are left over from the absence of scholarship money."

"Maybe," he conceded. "But if you'll excuse me, I've got something I'd rather be doing than talking about college right now."

"Such as?" his father sniffed.

"Writing."

"Kyle..."

He didn't look at his father, but his tone spoke the volumes that a facial expression left out. "Please, just leave me alone for once, okay? I don't want to talk about this now, and the more _you_ talk about it, the more _I'm_ going to close my ears to it anyway. You know that already."

His father frowned, but he went silent.

Kyle sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I've been looking at colleges. I'll let you know if I need any help, but so far, I'm doing just fine on my own. So don't worry about it. I just would prefer not to discuss it now."

His father stared at him a few seconds more in incredulity, but when his son gave no indication that he was going to give any further response to his expression, he nodded once, slowly, and then turned his attention to one of the plane's magazines.

Kyle spent several minutes writing before he realized something very strange about the conversation he'd just had with his father.

He blinked at the strangeness of it, several times. _Hm. How about that._

Then he turned back to his writing.

-------

_I hope this wasn't as evil a cliffie as before. Can you figure out what was so strange about Kyle's conversation? If you know and you tell me the correct answer, you'll get kudos in the next chappie! Next up, Kyle starts down a path somewhat different from before... with some unexpected help. Stay tuned! Please review!_


	9. Regaining What Was Never Lost

_A/N: I'm really pushing to get this fic off the ground... that is unless, of course, you people think it already is! I'm getting more inspiration as the hours pass, and there's a point I'd love nothing more than to arrive at, so... here's the next chappie!_

_Yoshimi: Augh! Yes, I hate it when you cry! *grabs a box of Kleenex and hastily passes it off to you* Here! And here's chapter 9, as well! Does that make you any happier?_

_Lumen: KUDOS! You gave the correct answer, even though you weren't sure of it._

_Monica: "Emanate" is a very cool word. I think it shows up somewhere below. Take a look for it. And your guess was close, but not quite the one I was looking for. Good try, though!_

_Skraku: KUDOS! You also submitted a correct answer... several times. Great analysis on the conversation, that gave me a good view of what you were thinking, as a reader. Analyses like that do me well sometimes... though not all the time._

_And as for everyone else, the correct answer is: Kyle didn't swear._

_Okay, that's enough from me. Enjoy the chappie!_

-------

Two Weeks Later 

--

Ever since their return to the States, Kyle found his dreams haunted by the sight of Rieger, the statue, and the strange golden shield. He saw the man die, over and over again. He saw the statue pounding away at the ceiling of the cave, all the while staring down at him... daring him to call it a figment of his imagination. He saw the shield, moving from between his hands to his right arm, strapped there inescapably.

He lost hours upon hours of sleep to the images. They didn't follow so readily into his waking moments, however. The days found him falling asleep later and waking up earlier. At first, the schedule was so taxing that he could barely keep up with it. Thankfully he was on the last leg of his winter vacation, and so didn't have to be quite so fastidious about his hours.

He became adjusted to a daily sleep period of about five hours. Granted, he tended to yawn during the first hour of his wakefulness and about the last three hours before going to bed, but he still managed to keep himself awake – if nothing else, then for the fear of seeing the haunting images assault his dreams once again.

Yet he had not discarded the necklace from which the shield-shaped pendant now hung. If anything, he'd steadily grown more protective of it.

He tried to write out his feelings about the entire matter on several occasions, but words seemed to fail him. Intelligent words, anyway. He saw little point in writing all the different combinations of curses he could think of. _If I can't articulate myself any better than that on a piece of paper, I've got no business calling myself a writer. I'm just a foul-mouthed lowlife._

The most that seemed to want to come out onto the paper was the collection of strange reactions he'd gotten from the native Egyptians as he'd passed through their midst. They'd all given him glances that were a little more than furtive. They'd all seemed to say, _What is this devil-kin creature, anyway?_

He'd found it amusing at the time. Now he found it rather disturbing.

The evening before his inevitable return to school, he found himself sitting at his desk, free-writing something random – even he didn't know what category it would fit in. The sun had plunged his world into darkness many hours before, leaving him with only his desk lamp to help him guide his pen.

He emitted a long yawn and leaned back in his chair, then set his pen down and ran his fingers through his long, unnaturally black hair. His eyes flitted around for an alternate activity.

His gaze moved across his trash can, which still hadn't been emptied, and probably never would be. Not as long as he didn't bother to take its contents to the dumpster they kept in the garage for that specific purpose.

He leaned an elbow on an arm-rest and allowed his head to fall into his hand, his fingers scratching absently at his temple. He reached out with his other hand and half-heartedly picked through the materials he'd already deemed to be trash once before. _What's in there, anyway? A couple magazines... some junk mail..._

_ Oh. The Duel Monsters deck._

He plucked the small box from the recesses of the receptacle and frowned at it for a few moments. _I wonder why people like this game so much. The holograms are cool, and all that, but by themselves, the cards seem like they'd be a bit of a drag._

He glanced at his clock. 1:38 a.m., and he still wasn't the slightest bit tired.

He shrugged and opened the box up – for only the second time since he'd received it. _May as well take a look at the rulebook. And if it turns out I don't want it after that, I can always find someone else to pass it off to._

Kyle pulled the rulebook out and began to flip through it.

--

It was the start of the new semester. Some kids had transferred out; others had transferred in. Most of them knew to stay away from Kyle, though; to them, he didn't look like the kind of guy they'd want to hang around with, anyway... and besides, when had the "veterans" known him to want friends, anyway?

He didn't mind. He enjoyed the solitude. _Don't have to fall to anyone's expectations here, except those of the teachers. And I don't mind those so much. They expect me to get my work done and get good grades, and I get my work done and get good grades. So there._

He'd finally finished out his P.E. credit, which gave him cause for joy. So what if he got a C? It was the least important course of the bunch, really. He had, for a long time now, hated the idea of running around and making a fool of himself. And this year, he'd only done it half the time and still passed the class. Screw what everyone else thought about the plan.

Lunch hour came. He trudged into the cafeteria, intent on seeking out his table and then finding something to eat–

Someone was at his table.

Kyle blinked in surprise. _Well. What do you know. Someone apparently has no idea of my reputation._ He glanced at the people populating the tables immediately surrounding the one he'd taken residence at for 3 ½ years. They were giving surreptitious looks to the stupid kid who'd decided to approach Kyle's table and snickering quietly... supposedly in anticipation of seeing Kyle get another suspension because someone was taking up his private space.

Kyle felt a small lick of annoyance. He wanted to be left alone, and people who approached his table, whether well-intentioned or not, had a habit of ignoring – or worse, disrespecting – that desire. As he made his way across the cafeteria, he began conjuring a way to get the guy to go away.

And then the kid sat down in the very chair that Kyle had always sat in.

Kyle blinked in surprise once more, and let loose a little smirk. _Boy, this guy is either entirely ignorant or entirely ballsy._ He chewed the inside of his cheek. _Of course, the others are EXPECTING me to do something completely horrible to the guy. I'm sure they'd get a hell of a laugh out of that._

_ Hm. Since when did I ever have to live up to their expectations? Why don't I just find out what the kid wants, for once, instead of chasing him off like some insect?_

He blinked at himself on that thought, and it even gave him cause to stop mid-step for a moment. _Wow. Since when did I start thinking like that?_ He frowned, blinked once more, then shrugged. _Eh. What does it matter? It's what I think. Try changing THAT, Dad._

And so instead of chasing the kid off with a rant, Kyle simply approached the table and sat down on another side of it.

The guy who was already seated was obviously an underclassman, maybe about two years younger. He was stocky, with just the slightest hint of overweight, but it didn't look so bad. He wore dark cargo pants and a hooded blue sweatshirt with an orange dragon splayed across the front. His short, brown hair was highlighted blond, and his sharp brown eyes caught every single one of Kyle's movements. His expression was a cross between jovial and cautious. This was a look Kyle knew very well. _Transfer student. Has to be._

The kid looked up at Kyle. "Hi, there."

"Hi," Kyle said, willing himself not to say anything rash just yet. "You sure you want to sit here?"

"Would you prefer I didn't?"

"Some people have gotten that distinct impression from me," Kyle responded carefully. "But at the moment... I'm not sure I really care, one way or the other."

The kid raised an eyebrow. "How shall I take that to mean?"

"However you want to." Kyle let his backpack drop to the table surface. "It's as close to approval, I think, as you may ever come to hearing from me. So... if you want to sit here, go ahead. I won't stop you from doing so."

"Fair enough," the kid responded. "My name's Cody. Cody Smith. People tend to call me 'Chubs', though."

"Kyle McCraine." Kyle scoffed. "People tend to call me 'asshole'."

"I think I'll call you Kyle," the other said in amusement.

Kyle rocked his head to one side. "Is 'Chubs' meant to be an insult?"

"It was at first. But I decided, 'What the hell? It's not like it means anything.' So the insult goes only as far as you think you can take it. Makes absolutely no difference to me what people call me. I am who I am."

"Well, then, in that case, I think I'll call you Chubs."

"Whatever works for you." The stocky boy crossed his arms and grinned. "Upperclassman, right? Senior, I'll bet."

"Yeah. Freshman?"

Chubs shook his head. "Sophomore. Spent my freshman year and half this year with a private tutor. Decided that really wasn't for me after a while, so I got my mom to put me here, in the public system."

"You might have done better on your own," Kyle snorted, taking a seat. "In case you hadn't noticed, there's more than our fair share of people like myself here."

Chubs raised an eyebrow. "You haven't done anything yet in the span of this conversation which would, to me, warrant the name 'asshole'."

"Hnh. Everything I do is an attention-getter. That's the point. See the way I dress? My hair? My tattoos?" Kyle indicated all these things with gesticulation of his hands. "These earmark me as someone to be watched, dude. Most people tend to stay away from me just because I have a bad attitude, even forgetting my gauche appearance."

Unexpectedly, Chubs laughed. "I think you're the only person I know of who's dressed like _that_ and made use of the word 'gauche' in a sentence – not only use, but _proper_ use. Is that a word that's commonly taught in the regular school system, or did I just happen to stumble upon the stomping grounds of a learned man?"

At this, a hint of a grin cracked across Kyle's features. "If you _must_ know, my family happens to be well-to-do... and therefore a bit snotty, as well."

"Oh, yes, I've heard about the famous McCraines. Or should I say infamous?"

"Whichever fits your preference." Kyle snorted. "Infamous would probably be the more accurate of the two. I take it you've never met my dad."

"No, I haven't, but my mom did, once. Something about environmentalists filing a lawsuit against landscapers a few years back. The landscapers were hired by Mom's real estate company."

Kyle blinked. "My dad works for prosecution."

"I know." Chubs offered a wry look. "Trust me, I know."

"You sure you want to be sitting with the enemy, then?"

"Where else have I got to sit? All the other tables are jam-packed." Chubs glanced around. "Speaking of which, I'm noticing a lot of people giving this table some funny looks. Are you seriously the only one who ever sits here?"

"Reputation is everything in this school." Kyle crossed his arms and slouched forward. "Mine's bad enough that nobody wants to sit with me."

"Cold-hearted bastards," Chubs stated candidly.

"Nah, that's _me_. The ones who wanted to sit here, I scared off myself."

"Oh?" Chubs raised his eyebrow again. "Why's that?"

"Because I like solitude, plain and simple."

"Company must not be such a bad thing for you, if you're willing to put up with me." Chubs smirked and got up. "I'm going to go grab something to eat. I need to fill this belly of mine before I start shrinking into what other people might actually consider a normal size. Can I get anything for you?"

Kyle raised both his eyebrows at the offer. "Um. Sure." He plucked his wallet out from his back pocket, pulled out a couple bills, and handed them to Chubs. "A Coke and a candy bar. Preferably one with no nuts or caramel, if you can avoid it. Besides that, open season."

"Allrighty, then." Chubs headed off to one of the lunch lines.

Kyle gave the stocky boy an incredulous stare. _I wonder if he even has a clue where he's going. Today's only the first day of the semester, and he said he spent the first semester in home schooling... maybe he went through orientation? Possible._

He frowned. _Why am I even caring? Very unlike me. And where did all my cursing go? I didn't hear myself utter a single foul word in that entire conversation... save for "asshole", maybe. And that doesn't count because I was using that in context._

_ How very strange. I'm hardly the most sophisticated person on the planet, but... didn't I used to be just a tad more foul-mouthed than this?_

He sighed and rummaged through his backpack for his writing notebook. He found it in a matter of moments, and along with it, a writing utensil; he pulled these out and opened the notebook up to the last page on which he'd written.

His frown only deepened.

That page had writing on it, yes, but only half of it was occupied by letters.

The rest of it was virtually covered with copies of the same strange eye symbol on his mysterious pendant.

Some of the symbols were small, completed with only a few small strokes of a pen. Others were large, ornate, their features virtually brought to life by the detail put into them. All possessed a circle in the center, surrounded by lines that created the impression of eyelids, plus two curving lines underneath the lower "eyelid".

_Eye of Horus. That's what it's called. The iris and eyelid parts, anyway._ Kyle looked over the images. _Not sure where these lines below it factor in, though._

He looked them over a few moments longer. _Weird. I don't even remember drawing these._

Chubs came back to the table – Kyle had almost forgotten about him by this point – with hands and arms full of food. Sandwiched between his forearms and his sides were the selections he'd made for Kyle; piled high on a Styrofoam plate in his right hand was what food he'd gotten for himself (including three pieces of pizza atop a mountain of pasta and meat sauce); in his left hand he bore a 20-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew.

"Sixty-five cents change," Chubs said, as he carefully put all of the food items down on the table. He dropped the change in front of Kyle, along with the Coke and Snickers Crunchers bar he'd bought.

"Snickers? I guess they're out of the Reese's," Kyle snorted, going for the drink first.

"Never had a Crunchers bar, have you? Try it out before knocking it. No caramel or nuts, just like you said. Weird at first, but it grows on you."

"You make it sound more like a fungus than a candy bar."

Chubs adopted an expression of disgust. "Ugh, thanks for that image. I don't want my pasta now."

"I'll take it, then."

"Fine, gimme five bucks and you can have it."

"Five bucks? The sale price is two twenty-five!"

"Up-charge," Chubs shrugged. "Besides, you've got money out the ass, and your dad won the landscaping case. That should count for something, right? How hungry and lazy are you feeling?"

"Hn. Enough to pay five bucks." Kyle rolled his eyes, but pulled his wallet out again and handed a five to Chubs. "Don't think I'll start making that a habit."

Chubs seemed about ready to say something to that, but apparently thought better of it, because he closed his mouth – for all of two seconds, before opening it again, to shove half a pizza slice into it. Kyle watched in amazement. "Whoa."

The sophomore, to his credit, was not so impolite as to try to talk around the considerable amount of food he was currently consuming. He even managed to keep his lips closed over it, which was no small feat, considering the size of the portion he'd just ripped from the crust. However, it didn't stop him from grinning around his bulging cheeks at Kyle's response. He pointed at his full mouth, as if to say, _This is why I'm called Chubs._

Kyle nodded once in understanding. "Yeah."

Chubs emitted a noise of something like amusement, then focused his concentration on his food. Kyle, meantime, opened up his candy bar and took a few bites of it. He chewed thoughtfully, then slowly nodded in approval. _He's right... kinda weird, but something I could get into._

It was then that he noticed the dragon on Chubs's sweatshirt. It didn't seem like one of the random caricature-type dragons one saw on silk shirts and such... it looked like it distinctly belonged somewhere.

He made a point of remembering to ask, once they were finished with their food. And apparently, he was more hungry than he thought, because although Chubs finished chewing first, Kyle wasn't far behind. He nodded at the shirt. "That dragon looks pretty cool."

"Hm? Oh." Chubs glanced down at his shirt and grinned. "Yeah. Tyrant Dragon. One of the best."

Kyle blinked. "Best what?"

"Dragons, of course. In Duel Monsters."

Kyle gave Chubs a blank look. In response, Chubs almost laughed aloud. "Don't tell me... you don't play, do you?"

"Eh. I have a starter deck. But no, I don't play."

Chubs shook his head. "Starter decks are good for only a few cards. If you really want the goodies, though, you have to rummage through booster packs. Which starter did you get? Red?"

"Black."

"Hrm. Summoned Skull's the biggie in that one, then." Chubs raised his eyebrow, apparently a signature expression of his. "Tell me you at least know what Summoned Skull is. Then I'll know you looked through the deck."

"I looked through it, yeah. But it's not really like the names mean anything to me since I don't play the game."

"Care to learn?"

"I glanced over the rulebook. Seems horribly complex to me."

"That's because rulebooks aren't reader-friendly. You need to see it for yourself." Chubs leaned back and laced his fingers over his full stomach. "If you'd like to get to know the game a little more, I can show you some of the real basic rules."

"We've just met each other and now you're offering to teach me a game?"

"Have you got anything better to do with your time?"

"What makes you think I don't?"

"I didn't say that." Chubs smirked. "I was just asking. Do you have anything better to do with your time than learn about something that's fun?"

Kyle chewed the inside of his cheek and chose his next words carefully. "I've been under the impression that this isn't a game I would necessarily _want_ to know anything about."

"Hey, like I said, don't knock it if you haven't tried it," Chubs countered, using a reasonable tone. "Basic rules. Child's play. And then we can work from there."

Kyle glanced at his watch. "We've only got about three minutes before the end of lunch period."

"Wouldn't have to do it today. Tomorrow, maybe. I've heard about block scheduling, but as I understand it, this school doesn't institute that, so you'll have the same hours tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah..."

Chubs emitted a small chuckle. "Just give me one lunch period. After that, if you still don't want to know anything about it, I promise I won't bother you with it again."

"Hm." Kyle considered this for a moment, then gave a nod. "Fine. I guess you're right, it's not like I've got anything better to do."

Chubs chuckled again. "I told you once already, I didn't say anything to that effect. You did."

The bell rang. Instinctively, Kyle got to his feet, but Chubs took his time in this endeavor. Kyle took his turn to raise an eyebrow at Chubs. "Not used to a bell schedule?"

"Not on a full stomach, I'm not." Chubs harrumphed. "I used to be in the public system, but Mom didn't like how the other kids kept teasing me about my weight, so..." He shrugged. "I got pulled out in sixth grade."

"Just as well. That's when people like me started making fools of ourselves."

"If you say so." Chubs hefted his backpack onto his shoulders. "Same time, same place. I'll bring some cards along for demonstration."

"Sure."

--

Kyle trudged his way through classes the next day with a distinct lack of enthusiasm – this appeared normal enough to his classmates, who generally had a tendency to ignore him anyway. His mind was on the little "training session" Chubs had in mind for him. _Oh, goody. Yeah, I looked through the rulebook, but it hardly made any sense to me... it might not be so bad if I learn it from someone else. And like he said, I can forget all about it if I decide I don't really want to get into it._

He kept his mind focused on his studies, but a small fragment of his focus was devoted to curiosity about this strange card game that had proven strangely addictive for so many people across the world... including Monica Zocallos.

He rolled his eyes at the very mention of her name in his thoughts. _Oy. That woman is insane. I dunno what it is she's got against me personally. Wasn't she the one who started this whole hostility deal with me in the first place? Certainly not the other way around... I would have preferred it if she, just like everybody else here, had just left me alone. But no, she had to go trying to irritate me._

As if she had somehow heard him during their studies, she caught his attention during the next passing period. As usual, she was with her posse. Kyle rolled his eyes again. _Brainless invertebrates._

"I heard you actually let someone sit at your table yesterday!" she exclaimed. She laughed at him mirthlessly. "Don't tell me the asshole's gone soft all of a sudden."

"If an asshole were going soft," Kyle responded, "you would be the first to know, I'm sure. Because it would be aimed right at you in the midst of its diarrhea."

Monica's face scrunched up in disgust. "You are the most goddamned gross creature I've ever met." She turned heel and began walking away.

Kyle scoffed. "Why the bad mood? Don't tell me you lost that card tournament."

At that, she stopped and stood perfectly still, her back ramrod straight. She seemed on the verge of responding to the challenge, and her posse meantime was muttering "oohs" behind her back.

But then she kept walking.

He sighed. _Maybe the focus should be not to try and egg her on, but to find a way to get her to go away. Maybe I should act really weird._ He scoffed. _Like I'm not acting entirely weird now, as compared to my behavior in the past. But... find a way to creep her out, maybe? Get her to decide that bothering me the way she does really isn't worth her time?_

_ Hmm._

Kyle was still trying to formulate a plan to get Monica to stop bothering him when he arrived in the cafeteria. Chubs had already taken his seat at the table, and today, more people seemed to be paying attention to that table. News had indeed gotten out about Kyle actually – gasp – letting someone else sit there. People seemed rather intent to watch.

This annoyed Kyle. _He's going to be teaching me something, no less, at my own table. Couldn't they just stick their noses back towards their own tables? It's not like we're doing anything really special over here._

He made particular mention of this once he sat down. Chubs nodded. "Yeah, I know, I noticed. A few people have asked me about it. Like I got instant popularity for pulling off some miracle – but at the same time, people are starting to poke fun for hanging out 'with the likes of Kyle McCraine, the asshole'."

Kyle winced slightly. "If my rep is rubbing off on you, don't feel obligated to stick around or anything..."

"What did I tell you yesterday? No one else sits here, and you're okay with it, so it's as good a place as any. I don't care what they think. In two or three years, nobody's going to care anyway. It's all temporary."

"If you say so," Kyle said, and although the statement was uncertain, he felt he had to agree with Chubs. _People will talk, sure. But only for a while._

"Meanwhile!"

Kyle glanced at his companion, who had pulled a stack of cards out of his backpack and placed it on the table. Chubs smirked. "Ready to do a little learning?"

"I'll have to forget other people are watching us, first." Kyle shot glares at the tables surrounding them; the occupants of those tables quickly got the point and turned around, if only for a few moments.

Kyle turned back to Chubs. "Sure. As ready as I'll ever be."

"Great. Then let's get started."

-------

_Is this a cliffie? I'm not entirely sure. I'll leave that up to you, my faithful readers, and hope that you are enjoying the story thus far. Next up, we get a little bit of the lesson Chubs teaches, and Kyle begins to develop entirely new – and unexpected – facets of his personality. Stay tuned! Review!_


	10. Multifaceted

_A/N: Hey, there, all! Happy New Year! I hope you've been having some great holidays... I know I certainly have! And... I have achieved my goal! Yay yay yay! Aren't you all so proud? Of course you are! And here's chapter 10, for your reading pleasure. Have fun!_

_Monica: Glad you like Chubs. He seems to be the reviewers' choice! And yes, Monica does have some deficiencies in manners... I wonder if that can be cleared up any._

_Skraku: Hm... Kyle's swearing "completely disappeared for the most part"? Kinda like being "a little pregnant", isn't it? Can't argue with that! :-P Glad you're enjoying._

_Lumen: No bones about it, YGO! TCG is a tough game to master. It takes me and my friends loads of dedication, studying... and money! Don't start in on buying those boosters unless you're absolutely sure you want to. I got a YGO! TCG booster from my sister on my 18th b-day, though I specifically said "no" to YGO! cards because I knew I'd get hooked. And now a one-inch binder isn't big enough to hold what I have now! And I'm more broke than M.C. Hammer!_

_Ankhutenshi: Start powering up that impressive info database of yours, I think I'll need it. This is somewhat akin to a puppy begging for a cookie! *grins* And yes, there will be more counseling. Probably in the next chapter or so. As for the Duel Monsters gaming... hopefully I won't disappoint!_

_Penny: Actually, no, Chubs isn't based on Wolf, but rather on another good friend of mine. *thumbs up to the real Chubs*_

------- 

"Good deal." 

Chubs picked up the stack of cards he'd put down and began picking through it. Kyle gave the stout card-player a look of askance, to which Chubs replied, "You said you got the black deck, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Good, then I picked out the right one." Chubs plucked a pair of cards from the stack. "I keep the cards I don't use in binders, but for this little exercise, I pulled out the cards that go into the black starter." 

Kyle blinked. "You've memorized the cards that go into each starter deck?" 

Chubs scoffed. "I wish. Then it'd prove I have a greater attention span than people give me credit for. But no, I haven't memorized what cards go into what deck. There's a code on each card, three letters and three numbers." He showed one of the cards he was holding to Kyle. "The code's right under the lower right corner of the picture. For the cards in the black starter, the code begins with the letters SDB – Starter Deck Black." 

"Hm. So the green starter would have SDG?" 

"You're catching on." Chubs held out the card he was displaying for Kyle to take. The long-haired teen accepted the proffered card and examined it. 

"Curse of Dragon," he murmured. He pointed at the lower right corner of the card. "Attack of 2000, defense of 1500. Right?" 

"Yep, you've got it. See, this isn't so tough." Chubs grinned. "And the monster I've got is Summoned Skull, with an attack of 2500 and a defense of 1200. Just put Curse of Dragon down in front of you and I'll start you off on the absolute basics." 

"Okay." Kyle put the card he'd been given on the table. Chubs also put down his Summoned Skull card. Then he remembered something. "Oh. Before we start, I was wondering something." 

"Hmm?" 

"Do you have any idea what Monica Zocallos' ranking was on that televised tournament she was in?" 

Chubs blinked for a couple seconds. "I heard you and Monica were on the worst of terms with each other. You're interested in hearing about her standings?" 

"Just wondering." 

"Well, she got to the semi-finals, but lost after hitting the final eight." 

"Hm. That'd explain her attitude." Kyle leaned forward. "Okay, that answers that. You may being with the course." 

Chubs chuckled. "Okay, the most basic rules of all. You can place your monsters in either attack mode or defense mode, depending on which one suits you best. When in battle, the monster with the highest attack power wins. So, for example, if Summoned Skull were to attack Curse of Dragon, Curse of Dragon would then be destroyed." 

"Yessir, Mr. Obvious." 

Chubs snorted. "Okay, then let's move on. This will sound like a tangent, but follow me on this. Each player starts out with 2000 Life Points. These are what sustain a player in a duel. If you lose all of your Life Points, you lose the duel." 

"And how do you lose Life Points?" 

"Generally it's through battle that Life Point damage is decided. So it's really all determined on how you maintain your monster field. Now, let's repeat the scenario from before, this time with Life Points – you and I each have 2000. I announce an attack from Summoned Skull on Curse of Dragon. In response, Curse of Dragon is destroyed. Not only that, but the extra 500 attack points that Summoned Skull didn't need are taken out of your Life Points. So now, instead of having 2000 Life Points, you have 1500." 

Kyle frowned. "Sounds like it'd be a fairly short game to me." 

"Like I said, it's how you maintain your field. There are ways of avoiding Life Point damage. For instance, instead of having Curse of Dragon in attack mode..." Chubs reached over and turned Curse of Dragon sideways on the table. "...let's put it into defense mode. Obviously, its defense power isn't going to help it any against Summoned Skull. But when I attack your defensive Curse of Dragon with Summoned Skull, although the dragon is destroyed, your Life Points are safe. That's the key: if you want to save your Life Points, you have to play defensively until you're ready for an offense." 

"So... lemme get this straight," said Kyle. "If I have a weaker monster in attack position, and you destroy it, I lose Life Points... but if my weak monster is in a defensive position and you attack it, my Life Points are still safe?" 

"By Jove, I think you've got it!" Chubs grinned. 

"Hopefully." Kyle thought for a moment. "I watched a duel on TV once... and I saw the players putting cards face-down. What happens there?" 

"Well, these days, there are different rules concerning that. What you probably saw were magic and trap cards being placed face-down. We'll get to those later, assuming you're still interested." 

Kyle nodded. 

"But meantime, monsters can be played either face-up or face-down. The only stipulation is that you can't put a face-down monster into attack mode. If you place a monster face-down on your field, it has to be in defense mode," Chubs continued. "That's an important rule for this game. That way the opponent doesn't screw you out of a monster and Life Points at the same time when it's not even his turn." 

Kyle chewed the inside of his cheek. "So if you attack an opposing monster with an attack power higher than the power of your monster..." 

"...your monster is destroyed and you lose Life Points equal to the difference in the calculation. Which is why, if you have any common sense, you don't play that way." Chubs Looked for another couple of cards. "When a duelist places a monster face-down, he usually does so because it has a hidden effect to it that can only be activated once you flip it face-up on your field. We'll get to that later, as well; for now, we're talking purely about normal monsters." 

Kyle nodded. "Okay. What else? What if you – my opponent – put a monster face-down, and when I try to destroy it, its defense power is higher than my attack power? I'm assuming if it's in defense position, it's the defense points that matter." 

"You're getting it, m'friend." Chubs chuckled. "I'm just getting to that now. Say, for example, you had Mystical Elf. It has an attack power of 800 and a defense power of 2000. Attack power sucks, yes, but defense power is awesome." 

He handed a Mystical Elf card to Kyle; presumably it was from the starter deck. "Now, since this card is a lot better for defense power than attack power, let's say you decide to put that in defense mode. You can choose to put it face-up or face-down." 

"What difference does it make if Summoned Skull has a higher attack power than Mystical Elf's defense power? Your Skull would just blow her away anyway." 

"Well, let's say I don't have Summoned Skull. Instead, I've got this: Gazelle, The Mythical King of Beasts. It has an attack of 1500 and a defense of 1200." Chubs exchanged the Summoned Skull card on his field for the Gazelle card in his hand. "If you have Mystical Elf face-up, I'm not going to bother attacking it because I know its defense is stronger. But if you play it face-down, I might be tempted to attack it. 

"So let's set up the scenario. We both have 2000 Life Points. Put Mystical Elf face-down on the table, and be sure to keep it sideways – that's how you show it's in defense mode." 

Kyle did as he was instructed. 

"Okay, now I play Gazelle in attack mode. And being the overconfident ass that I am, I instruct Gazelle to attack your face-down monster." Chubs glanced up at Kyle. "Now, when your face-down monster is being attacked, it has to be flipped face-up in order for us to see what its power is. So flip it face-up." 

Kyle did so. 

"Okay. Now, since Mystical Elf's defense power is 500 points higher than Gazelle's attack power, the difference between those numbers is inflicted to _my_ Life Points. Now I have 1500 Life Points, and your monster stays on the field." 

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "What about your monster? Is he destroyed?" 

Chubs shook his head. "Not when the monster I attacked is in defense mode. All that happens is I lose Life Points from a failed attack." He looked up at his would-be charge. "How are you doing so far?" 

"I think I'm catching on. So let's say we keep that setup, then... and I play Curse of Dragon in attack position on my next turn..." Kyle put the Curse of Dragon card back on the table. "...and I had it attack Gazelle. Since Gazelle is in attack position, and Curse of Dragon's attack power is 500 points higher... it's destroyed and you lose another 500 Life Points, right?" 

"You've got it." Chubs nodded in affirmation. 

"Okay... and if a monster comes out in attack position, does it have to stay that way while it's out?" 

Chubs shook his head. "No, not the entire time. But once you put a monster on the field in a certain position, it has to stay that way until your next turn. So when you put Curse of Dragon on your field in attack mode, it has to stay in attack mode until next turn. Similarly, you don't have to keep Mystical Elf in defense mode the entire time, even though it generally is a good idea to do so. You simply have to wait for your next turn. And if you have a face-down monster you want to switch to attack mode, you also have to flip it face-up so that both players know its attack and defense factors." 

Kyle tried to digest all of this information and worked it over in his mind. "Hm. Okay. So let's say we keep this setup. If you played Summoned Skull next turn, my Life Points would be vulnerable because Curse of Dragon is in attack mode. But if you attacked Mystical Elf, my Life Points would be safe because it's in defense mode. But in either case, the attacked monster would be destroyed." 

"Exactly. I'd say that part's pretty much covered." Chubs chuckled. "The trouble, though, is to make it stick. If you'd like, I could put together a couple of mini-decks to test out your knowledge with." 

"More tests? I thought I was finished with semesters." 

Chubs laughed. "No worries, Kyle. Like I said, you can quit anytime if you're not interested." 

Kyle shook his head. "Nope, nope, can't stop now, you're drilling info into my brain and it's going to stay there for a while, so I may as well try this out. Go on and build your mini-decks." 

"Ha. This should prove to be some sort of fun, hm?" 

Kyle scoffed. "I guess we'll see, at that." 

-- 

Kyle went home that evening with a new interest in the starter deck his parents had given him. He began picking through the cards in it, and wondered at the monster cards that did not have the yellow bordering, but instead were orange in coloration. 

"Every single one of these has the word 'effect' showing up next to the name of the kind of monster it is, too," he mumbled. Despite the hopeless cause of trying to make sense of his Duel Monsters manual the other night, he snatched it from the desktop and again perused it for information regarding monsters of this type. 

"Effect monsters," he mumbled. "Each one has a special effect... some called flip effects, other effects happen while they're on the field, some happen while they're not... really weird." He blinked, set the manual back on the desk, and sat back. _I think I'll ask Chubs about it, rather than read through that thing... I'll bet the manual, as so many manuals do, makes the process more complicated than it is._

He raised an eyebrow most notably, however, at the one monster in his deck whose border was not yellow, nor was it orange. No, instead, it was purple. It possessed no card description, save for the phrase "Berfomet + Gazelle, The King of Mythical Beasts" underneath the phrase **[Beast / Fusion]**. 

Kyle glanced back at the manual. _Fusion monsters, effect monsters... where does it stop?_

He slumped into bed with more questions rolling around in his head than ever before. 

And he dreamed of Duel Monsters. 

-- 

One Week Later 

-- 

Kyle had gotten used to his class schedule by now, and though he had long figured out just how close to the brink of insanity he could push some of these teachers, for the first time in his career at this school... he didn't want to. 

_What point is there, really? I mean, after all, it's kinda wasted effort on my part, if you think about it. Who would want to take a job for a pauper's pay, working to enhance the education of ungrateful, unappreciative nitwits whose biggest ambitions involve sexual favors? Someone who had a particular love of insanity, that's who. Or a masochist. Either way, there's no point in me torturing them if they've already chosen to bring it on themselves. Hours upon hours of homework to correct, and then get yelled at for not teaching the problem correctly..._

He rolled his eyes. _Yuck. Seriously, who would want to teach people like us?_

His mellowing-out had not gone unnoticed by his classmates. Oh, to the contrary, they were whispering behind his back every chance they got. They asked each other if he'd finally gone over the edge. They asked if he was on Prozac. They asked if he had become perpetually stoned. 

Kyle heard about such rumors from Chubs. He dismissed them, knowing they weren't true... although he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of irritation at those who chose to pay such close attention to him. Yes, he wasn't beating anyone up just because he felt like it. Why were they complaining? 

_Live and let live_, was his opinion. 

His extensive discussions with Chubs during lunch about Duel Monsters – and the mini-duels Chubs was staging as testing measures – had also become a subject of controversy, and this one was brought directly to his attention. 

During the passing period before lunch, Kyle felt the call of nature and redirected himself to a bathroom in a hallway adjacent to that in which his homeroom resided. In the midst of his hurry, his toe had the distinct misfortune of being stepped on by a high heel. 

"Ow!" he yelled, and he quickly jerked his foot away. 

This caused the person stepping on it – a girl, presumably and hopefully – to fall on the floor on her backside. 

Kyle's first instinct was to ignore her and relieve his bladder, especially when he saw who it was – none other than Monica Zocallos. 

_Now I'm left to wonder if she did that on purpose or accidentally... and with her, it can be either way._ He blinked at her, not quite sure what to do at first except simply stand there and stare at her. He noticed that she seemed to have the heels for a good reason: to compliment the dress she was wearing. 

The back of his mind shouted, _I don't care! She did it on purpose, and it serves her right! Just go about your business, there's no point in just standing here, looking stupid and gawking at her._ But the forefront of his mind said, _Whether she did it on purpose or not doesn't really matter at this point, because now she's the one sitting here on the floor, looking like a fool._

He leaned down and offered her a hand. 

This time, it was her turn to gawk at him for a moment – and she wasn't alone in this action. Nearly half the hallway had hear and/or seen the fall, and now here was Kyle McCraine, offering his hand to the one person he hated above all others. 

_Interesting position she's caught in_, he thought. _Either she'll cringe and stand up on her own – a remarkable thing to do in those heels – and come off as a complete bitch – like she doesn't anyway – or she'll take my hand and acknowledge in front of all these witnesses that I'm genuinely trying to do something nice for her, despite the fact that she probably broke my toe._

The back of his mind muttered, _Five'll get you ten it's the former._

For a moment, they just stared at each other, a myriad of emotions jumping across the expanse. 

And then she hissed and struggled to her own feet. "I don't need any help from the likes of you. You'd probably drop me straight back on my ass." 

He sighed and let his hand fall to his side. "Believe what you want to. I was only trying to help." He had to resist the urge to add, _Unlike whatever it was you were trying to do to my foot._

Her face screwed up in contempt. "Why? Why would you possibly want to _help_ me? Am I an object of your _pity_, all of a sudden?" 

He glanced at her clique of girls, who were all standing in a semicircle around her, like strange semi-human shields, staring stupidly at the two of them. Then he shrugged. "Well, none of your girls seemed interested in helping you out. I thought I might pick up the slack. But if you want to get back up on your own two feet, that's fine. You shouldn't have to expect any help from anyone. Right?" 

She narrowed her eyes. "What the hell are you driving at, McCraine? You got something to say to me, why don't you just say it?" 

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Kyle promptly responded. "If someone offers you help, don't automatically assume it's because they find you sad or piteous." 

"That's all 'help' ever is," she answered, eyes flashing. "Pity. Pity, pity, and more pity. And if you don't believe that, you can eat shit... just like the mangy-ass dog you are." 

Kyle shrugged off the insult._ Maybe it really WAS a mistake to offer her any help after all._ "Fine. It's your funeral." 

Upon the utterance of those words, the scowl on Monica's face vanished, to be replaced by something like... sadness. Maybe even anguish. Her lower lip trembled for a moment. 

A slight crease developed in Kyle's brow. _I hit a nerve with that one._

_"It's your funeral."_

_Funeral...?_

_Oh. The dress._

_Yeah. Yeah, I heard about this. Her uncle. Martin Zocallos. I remember now, I saw his obituary in the paper the other day. The funeral was set for this afternoon._

Monica twisted around and brought one hand up to her face. Over her shoulder, she gave him a final evil eye and hissed, "Go to hell." 

She marched off stiffly, her cadre at her side. 

_Been there._ He didn't say it. 

Then he frowned. The thought seemed to echo in his mind, for just an instant. It was something beyond just a natural echo... if the word "natural" could be applied to echoes of the mind. 

**_...been there..._**

But just as quickly, the echo vanished, leaving him only with his own thoughts. 

------- 

_Well, how was that? I hope you enjoyed it. Coming up later on, Kyle goes deeper into the world of Duel Monsters, Monica takes an unannounced trip of her own, and Chubs takes Kyle to a Duel Monsters tournament. Looking forward to it? I hope you are! Stay tuned!_


	11. Loneliness and Roses

_A/N: Whoo! Hard work tonight! But I hope it's work that's appreciated, because I do so love writing stories, and I like to think I'm a pretty good tale-spinner. Don't be shy, let me know how I'm doing! And in the meantime, here's chapter 11 for your reading pleasure!_

_Wolf: Happy National Duck Day to you, as well! Hats off to all you ducks out there!_

_Skraku: Yeah, I can see a few of their classmates snorting in amusement at the insult, as well. And I might just put that situation in, kudos for coming up with it!_

_Penny: Continuation-ness! Happiness?_

_Monica: As always, I'm glad you're enjoying! Monica will get hers, have no fear, it's just going to take a while longer. You know how tough it is to change someone's attitude about something. *wink* Speaking of whom, we have a little more focus on her this chappie, so I hope you like._

-------

When Monica arrived at school the next day, she was ready for a fresh start. She's cried her way through the funeral, cried her way home, cried her way to sleep. She'd loved her uncle. There was nothing anyone could do or say to change that. He, unlike her parents, had been loving and kind to her. Stern, when he had to be – for example, he'd never tolerated her foul language under his roof – but also gentle. Whenever her parents – particularly her mother, whom she couldn't stand – did something to wrong her, she'd always been able to go to Uncle Marty and sort things out. If not in action, then at least in word. He'd help her see one of two things: either that whatever was being done was for the best, or a way to avoid such a situation again.

Uncle Marty hadn't been able to see why his brother had become so infatuated with the woman, actually. He'd never seen them as a good match. Monica's father had claimed it was "love at first sight", which Marty had scoffed at. Marty had never married, primarily because he'd never found a woman who seemed right for him. Of course he had no children either, and this was something Monica was happy about. She could just go over to his house and not have anyone else interrupt them while she poured her heart out to him.

_I'm not a cruel bitch to everyone,_ she thought. _It may seem like it, but I'm not... I hate all the assholes that plague this place, and I'm not too fond of my own family, but Uncle Marty... I loved him._

But she couldn't go to him anymore.

She'd never felt more alone in her life.

The girls who kept following her around did only that: they followed. They had no real interest in Monica's personal life, only an interest in catching whatever glory she decided to let pass her by.

Whatever boys she was with, she went with them purely to piss her mother off. She knew that her mother didn't approve of any male she hung out with, whether it was on a friendly basis – come to think of it, Monica didn't have any of those – or on a boyfriend/girlfriend basis (and this was according to the boy, not Monica, who didn't believe in becoming a girlfriend to any one of those guys, and screw whatever they had to say about the experience).

As much as she hated to admit it, Kyle had been right yesterday. None of them had shown any interest in helping her to her feet. How very ironic that he had offered his hand to her.

She shook her head. _No. No way. No way will I ever let that asshole touch me. I don't know what he's playing at, but I'll never let him touch me. He would have just dropped me again. That's all everyone ever does. Try to pick me up, like some damned party favor, and then drop me when they're finished with me. No more of that shit._

Yet, his words still ran rampant in her mind. _"If someone offers you help, don't automatically assume it's because they find you sad or piteous."_

She scoffed. _I sure FEEL sad and piteous right about now._

She made her way to her locker, trying to ignore her environment, which mostly consisted of brick, metal, vapid girls sans brains, and guys doing catcalls at seductively-dressed females – one of which, she was not, today. Some days she was, some days she wasn't. Sometimes she liked the catcalls, other times she hated them.

This was one of those days she just couldn't stand drawing attention to herself. She wasn't sure if this was a first or not.

When she arrived at her locker, however, she found something she hadn't expected at all.

A single yellow rose had been stuck into one of the ventilation slots by its stem. A minuscule segment of card paper was attached to it by a string.

She frowned and gingerly plucked the miniature card from the rose, then opened it. It bore only two words.

_My condolences._

She blinked. _Yellow roses signify friendship. One of the staff? The principal, maybe? Certainly not a student, no student would give me this. Guys don't have the balls to give me flowers._ She harrumphed, a slightly amused sound. _Well, at least someone went to the effort._

She pulled the rose out of the slot and quickly stashed it under her coat. She'd been angled in such a way that the girls behind her hadn't seen it yet, and she much preferred to keep it that way.

She craned her head down slightly and smelled the rose. _Mmm. Very nice. Strange that someone would do something nice for me. Definitely had to be the principal._

She opened her locker, stuck the rose inside, and prepared herself for the day.

--

Kyle and Chubs walked past Monica's locker row about a minute after they spotted her arrival, and they dared to peek down the row. She was standing there, hastily sticking something inside before pushing her hair away from her face.

As soon as they were past the row, Chubs couldn't help but snicker. "Kyle, if I didn't think you were insane before, I do now. What you're doing is nothing short of crazy."

Kyle shrugged. "Maybe. But I figure she really could use a friendly gesture right about now. She'd never accept it from me personally. You and I both know that. After the funeral yesterday, though..."

Chubs raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you actually attended."

"I didn't. But I talked to Mrs. Simons, who _did_, and she said that Monica was totally broken-hearted. So I decided I'd do something nice for her. Anonymously nice, of course, but nice, nonetheless."

"She's not gonna appreciate you for it, even if she finds out it was you. Besides which, she probably wouldn't believe you even if you told her."

"I don't plan to. That's the fun of it. Maybe, if I try to subtly change Monica's attitude, it'll turn out to be all the best for me. She'll leave me alone, not yell curses at me every time I walk by–"

"Like just now?"

"Yep. Too busy finding out someone's being nice to her."

"This is a strange plan you've got going, Kyle."

"Just follow me on it."

Chubs shrugged. "Like I have anything else to do? I'm having fun watching this."

"Sure, you've got something else to do." Kyle chuckled. "Play Duel Monsters against me until I start winning constantly."

Chubs scoffed, putting on his game face. "No offense, my friend, but you are a _long_ way from that."

"No doubt. Which is why I need to start collecting some cards. The same stuff over and over again isn't cutting it, not with the deck you've got. Show me a good place to do that."

"Will do. I'll take you by the local card shop after school. It's not too far from here."

"Sounds good. Now help me out on this concept. Magic cards can only be played on your own turn?"

"Most magic cards. There are some called quick-play magic cards, and those can be activated anytime after you've placed them face-down on the field, even during your opponent's turn."

"Okay. And trap cards can only be activated after the turn in which you set them?"

"Right."

"And traps have to be set face-down. Can't be played face-up."

"Exactly. I think you're getting it."

"You told me, though," said Kyle, "that there are some traps that are faster than others."

"Right. Like, for example, Waboku. That's a normal trap. But Seven Tools of the Bandit, that's a fast trap. And Seven Tools is designed to stop the activation of a trap card."

"Normal or fast?"

"Either one. Fast traps can be played against each other. I could have a Seven Tools on my field, and you could have one on yours. You activate Waboku, I activate my Seven Tools to stop it, you activate _your_ Seven Tools to stop _my_ Seven Tools. That way, Waboku still works. See?"

"Not really, but I'll go with you on it."

Chubs laughed. "Good lord, boy, start learning something!"

--

One Week Later

--

Half a dozen yellow roses had collected in Monica's locker by now. The cards no longer said "_My condolences_" on them, though. She wondered if it was because their bearer figured that it would continue reminding her of her loss. Now they said simply, "_A friend._"

_Whoever the staff member is, they're being unnaturally nice to me_, she thought. _Either it's a really nice teacher, or maybe it is a student after all. But who would...?_

She shook her head as she placed the sixth rose alongside her collection. _I guess it doesn't matter. They're giving me yellow roses for a reason. Maybe there's someone out there who might actually want to be my friend? Either it's that or one of the girls behind me is trying to play a devilish trick to get me to be nicer to them._ She resisted the urge to scowl at the collected vapidity behind her.

_I wonder if whoever the rose-bearer is realizes I'm going to be gone for about a week._ She snickered. _Wouldn't that be something. Another five roses jammed into the vents, whoever-it-is scratching their head, going, "Where the hell did she go?" And then me, walking in, catching them in the act. Oh, how sweet that would be._

She found herself humming a nameless tune as she made her way to her first class.

--

Two Days Later

--

"Hmm. She hasn't shown up for two days now. I'm running out of places to put them," said Kyle, well after school hours.

Chubs sighed. "Maybe you should ask a teacher about her whereabouts, if you're so worried. For all you know, she got sick and stayed home a couple days."

"I could do that. Probably should ask Mrs. Simons, Monica has a class with her."

"She still in at this point?"

"Could always check."

Kyle and Chubs drifted their way across the school, half of which was dark by now. They made their way to Mrs. Simons' Chemistry classroom, where the teacher was just finished cleaning up a nasty hydrochloric acid spill on one of the science lab tables in the back. She glanced up and blinked at them. "Well, hello, gentlemen! What can I do for you so late after school? Not late for detention, I hope."

Chubs laughed outright, while Kyle merely scoffed. "No, not today. Besides, this isn't the detention room for today. That's Stocker's job, remember?"

"Of course I do." She winked at them. "What brings you by?"

"It may sound like an awkward question," said Kyle, "but do you happen to know where Monica Zocallos disappeared to?"

"Ah. As a matter of fact, I do. She went off on some sort of vacation a couple days ago. She's not going to be back until next Tuesday, from what she told me. Got her work finished ahead of time and everything. No idea where, exactly, she went off to, though."

"A vacation, hm?" Kyle mused. _Wonder if she'll have the experience I had. Probably not._

"Something wrong, fellas?" Mrs. Simons' expression was inquisitive.

Chubs shook his head. "No, nothing at all. Just curious."

She raised an eyebrow is response to this. "Curious, eh? Why would Kyle McCraine wonder where Monica Zocallos is? Planning to vandalize her locker door or some such?"

"Hardly. Just wondering, that's all," Kyle said blithely. "Thanks for letting us know."

"Allrighty. Don't hesitate to drop by anytime. Gets lonely after hours, you know." She grinned. "Seeya later."

As they walked out of the school, Chubs smirked at Kyle. "Would roses be considered vandalism?"

Kyle shrugged. "All depends. If you hate roses, then yes. But so far I haven't see any adverse reaction from her. And her mood seemed slightly improved, as opposed to the usual."

"But is it the roses, or could it be something else?" Chubs raised an eyebrow. "And in either case, how long can it last?"

The senior shrugged again. "I guess we'll find out."

--

It would have to happen in the Kremlin.

It seemed very strange to Monica to come all this way for a simple transaction. Especially in the dead of winter, where temperatures were even more abominable here than back on her side of the globe.

The transaction was to take place just beyond Lenin's tomb. The exact location had been detailed to her in the e-mail. She'd stepped onto that precise spot nearly fifteen minutes ago, and now she was standing here in the bitter cold. Luckily she'd brought a burly coat for protection.

She'd already toured the tomb and seen the body of Lenin. To her surprise, except for just the slightest hint of a waxy composure (no doubt, due to the age of the body), Lenin looked pretty good for a dead man.

She glanced off to her right. There was a billboard stationed high above the normal tourist crowds, and atop that billboard had once been the KremlinKam, a camera that sent pictures into the Internet for the whole world to see. She had no idea if it was still in operation or not, but she decided she'd find out once she got home. She giggled to herself. _That would be the funniest thing in the world, to have this business go on right under the entire world's nose!_

She glanced around. It was nearly midnight. Most people had cleared out of the tomb hours before, once visiting hours were overwith. There still were several late-night tourists hanging around, taking pictures of Red Square. Monica harrumphed in amusement. _None of those sights are nearly as interesting as this one will be._

As she glanced about, she became aware of one of the Russian elite guards approaching her from the other side of the chain that guarded the tomb, resplendent in his uniform. She rolled her eyes. _Great. Just what I needed. What did I do wrong, and how much money do I have to pay you to stay quiet?_

The guard offered her a small smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, which had a darkness she suspected even the brightest light would be unable to penetrate. Out of his mouth came a quiet rush of words in heavily accented English.

"The night is unusually dark tonight, is it not?" he said. "It is almost as if there was a ritual of black illusion happening in the evening sky, that even with the coming of the sun will not be relinquished."

Monica's eyes widened, and her brows shot up. _THIS is the guy? Wow._ She remembered her part of the password. "One wonders if there is not some dance commencing even now, with an earthly performance of swords."

The guard nodded once and carefully slipped a gloved hand inside his coat. "You have the payment, yes?"

"Only if you have the item," she whispered. "Show it to me."

He produced the item she spoke of. Her eyes gleamed with delight, but then she trained her gaze on the guard once again. "Move it around. Just a little. I must know if it is real, as you say."

"It is real, I assure you," he responded, but nevertheless he tilted it this way and that, casting light on it from all directions, giving Monica the reassurance she needed. "And now I must see the payment."

"Of course." Monica reached into an inner coat pocket and removed a colossal wad of Russian money. "But you may not have it until I have the item."

The Russian growled, but he had few options. He had a family to feed, and the guard job was abominable. He handed the item to Monica; a mere moment later, the bills were in his hand.

Monica gave one more glance to the billboard and the KremlinKam that was supposedly still atop it. _Yeah... screw you, world. I'm doing this all by myself. Watch me as I screw you over!_

She looked back to the guard. "Do you know where the others are?"

"They are already purchased," he answered. "That was the last of them. You must seek them out yourself."

She nodded. "Thank you."

Without responding, he walked briskly back to his post.

She stashed the item in question in her inner pocket and quickly made her way back to her hotel. _I'm not out of it yet. Now I need to get back home without anyone knowing._

--

Kyle stepped into Dr. Dawson's office and promptly sat down in the most comfortable chair there – the one to the right of the desk. "Allrighty, Doc, what can you do to fix me up?"

Dawson laughed. "Listen. It's what I do best, or at least that's what I like to think. You need 'fixing up'?"

"My parents seem to think so," Kyle responded. "Though I wonder if they're starting to think this service has suddenly become a waste."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, look at me!" Kyle jumped up to his feet and paced back and forth. "Suddenly, I'm getting active! Involved! And you may have noticed that my vocabulary has improved a bit since our first meeting."

"Well, yes, I would have to agree on that point," Dawson conceded with a chuckle. "But only in part. The vocabulary you actively display is much improved from that first day. But I'm willing to believe you've had the vocabulary all along, just not the willingness to use it."

"Okay, so I guess you're wondering what my problems are now, right?" Kyle leaned down over the back of the comfy chair.

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"All right, then, I'll tell you about this one thing I've got going." Kyle racked his brain, trying to get his thoughts together into something cohesive. "No more stream-of-consciousness from me, you're going to hear something that's worth hearing."

"It doesn't matter how you speak to me, Kyle, I'll listen to you no matter how you choose to present the information," Dawson answered. He leaned back in his seat and patiently waited for Kyle to gather his thoughts.

"Whew. Okay. So I've told you about my troubles with Monica, right?"

"Monica Zocallos."

"Yeah. Well, I dunno if you heard, but her uncle died a couple weeks ago, and she was all teary-eyed about it."

Dawson nodded. "I read about the funeral in the paper. This isn't a big town, so deaths of rich people, or relatives of rich people, are big news."

"Yeah. And I told you what happened the day of the funeral, right?"

"Yes, I believe so... you were in here that day, as I recall. You said she stepped on your toe. I trust it hasn't given you any trouble since then."

"Oh, no, no, not at all. But I told you what I did, right?"

Dawson nodded again. "You told me that she tripped, and that you offered to help her get back to her feet. And she didn't take it, and instead set upon you with a stream of particularly foul language."

"Something like that. Then she attended the funeral that afternoon, and I thought to myself, 'Why don't I try to do something nice for her for a change?'" Kyle sat down in the chair again. "Problem is, Monica and I, we've never been nice to each other. Never ever. Not a single thought of being nice had ever crossed our minds, as long as we'd known each other. When I offered to help her up, maybe she couldn't accept it because she couldn't accept the thought of me, of all people, trying to be nice to her."

"Hmm. So you, the most unlikely of helpers, come along to offer her a hand, and she refuses because she can't stand to see you doing something to her benefit?"

"Maybe that's it. I dunno." Kyle scratched his head.

"What provoked you to be nice to her?"

Kyle shrugged. "Originally, it was just a plot to scare her away from me. But now it's turned into something else. It's like... I'm trying to get her into a better mood or something."

"A better mood?" Dawson leaned forward and laced his fingers on top of his desk. "And how did you plan to do this?"

"Well, the day after her uncle died, I talked to one of the teachers, who told me how broken up Monica was over the entire thing. So I thought, 'Maybe what Monica needs isn't a scare tactic, but maybe just a genuinely nice action. Anonymous, maybe, so that she can accept it more easily.' Of course, it was too early to call up a florist, what with school hours–"

"A _florist_? You thought of giving Monica flowers?" Dawson asked, intrigued.

"Well... yeah. I figure if anything can help improve a girl's mood, it's flowers, especially when she doesn't ask for them. That or chocolates, and I can't fit chocolates into the vent slots on her locker. Except for maybe Hershey bars."

Dawson guffawed. "Please, do continue. I'm fascinated by this story. What did you do?"

"Well, actually, I, um... kinda dug into someone's garden." Kyle grinned sheepishly. "Neighbor to the school. Had a huge garden, dozens of flowers, you couldn't keep track of them all, and the yellow roses were most abundant, and seemed most appropriate, so I..." Kyle made a motion of uprooting a flower, although both of them knew that certainly wasn't how one plucked a rose.

Dawson _tsk_ed. "Naughty, naughty. I certainly hope you compensated for the loss of a flower, in some way."

"Sure did, but I lied to the poor woman. Told her some juveniles were out raiding her yard and I chased them away, then gave her some money to get a bunch more bulbs."

The psychologist shook his head, grinning. "You've got a strange method about things, Kyle. But you gave her money to buy more bulbs, so your heart was in the right place somewhere. What did you do with the rose? Stuck it in the vent slot of Monica's locker, I presume."

"Yep. And she never knew it was me. After that I called the florist, just so that poor neighbor woman wouldn't have to suffer any more losses. And my hands, too, I caught a couple of those thorns." Kyle grinned. "Anyway, it just kinda turned into a habit. A yellow rose for each day after her uncle's death. I put a note on all of them. The first one said 'my condolences' and the ones after that said 'a friend'. Now, though, she's gone off on some vacation and won't be back until next week."

Dawson cocked his head to one side. "So what's the problem? You can't leave her roses every day?"

"I guess the problem is I don't know what I should do if she ends up finding out it was me all along." Kyle sighed. "She hates my guts. And I've hated hers for a long time, too. But she needs a friend, I think. I've never seen her hang out with any _real_ friends."

"So she needs a friend. A friend like yourself?"

"Maybe. Or maybe a friend like Chubs. I dunno. Probably would do better to befriend Chubs than me, for starters." Kyle scratched the back of his neck. "Look, I've been through some messed up stuff. And I know what it's like to lose someone unexpectedly. The kid wasn't family, but still... his death kinda broke apart this clique we had set up. After that, everything changed. I'm just hoping Monica won't go the same way I did." He offered a wry grin. "If she does, she might end up worse than me."

Dawson leaned back and crossed his arms. "Then maybe what Monica needs is something to focus her attention away from the sadness. If the roses don't do it, do you know of anything that might?"

Kyle rummaged through several possibilities, all far too extreme for his tastes.

And then the answer hit him.

"Duel Monsters. She loves proving she's better than everyone else." He grinned, the solution unfolding before him. "I'll train up and, when the time is right, challenge her to a duel."

"A tall order, isn't it?" Dawson arched an eyebrow. "You told me that Monica's got a reputation as a duelist."

"Yeah, she does. So I'll make myself a challenge first. No point in challenging someone if you're not going to be a challenge. If nothing else, it'll be a distraction... and might just bring her some satisfaction, too."

-------

_Wow, I didn't know where the heck I was going to stop writing for this chapter! Long one, eh? I hope you enjoyed it. And now... *shamelessly begs for reviews* Please tell me how I'm doing, what you like and don't like! I'm eager to know what you think, my fellow authors! Just hit the little Go button down there! Up next, Kyle and Chubs attend a Duel Monsters underground tourney, and Kyle stumbles across an unexpected former acquaintance. Stay tuned!_


	12. Old Friends, New Rivals

_A/N: Here's chapter 12. I hope you enjoy it! From all appearances, you have been so far, so in return, I hope I'm delivering something of worth. Let me know, either way, would you? Appreciated!_

_Wolfwings: Hey, there, no dying on me now. *grins* We're nowhere near the climax! This is more like the prelude!_

_Monica: *falls over* Who's Lenin? ...Well, I suppose you wouldn't have hit that point in History class. Lenin was the Chairman of the Communist party of Russia back during the Depression era, directly before the bloodthirsty Stalin. I've been to Mocsow, where you can't swing a cat without hitting a bust of Lenin somewhere._

_Penny: We'll be hearing about them soon enough, though they won't necessarily show up "in person" Not at the moment, anyway. Stay tuned and you'll see for yourself!_

_Skraku: Good to know I'm yanking the emotional chain around. Enjoy the next chappie!_

_Ankhutenshi: "Power-after-all" was kind of the idea, yes. And you'd be the perfect one to notice the "fringe" characters' development past "the norm" for me, wouldn't you? *grins* Enjoy the chappie._

-------

February - One Month Later

--

Kyle and Chubs found Monica to be quite stuck on herself. Of course, seeing Monica stuck on herself was a normal deal, but this was even more so. Suddenly she was flaunting herself around, drawing even more attention than usual. Somehow, she had managed to throw off her cloak of stupid girls; this last one surprised them, because they'd almost never seen her without those girls gnawing at her side. Now, it was purely Monica drawing the attention, not any of those girls grabbing people and making them stare at her as if she were something holy.

Kyle had since finished with the yellow roses on regular occasion, deciding only to deposit them at random. He had no idea what she did with them beyond putting them in her locker, though he had to assume she did something more with them if she didn't want them to start rotting there.

This particular day found Kyle and Chubs at their lunch table, dueling each other. As usual, Kyle was losing to the superior player. Kyle glanced up at his opponent as Chubs made the finishing move on Kyle's Life Points with his Flame Cerebrus. "I don't know if the random roses are having effect anymore."

"It's hard to tell," Chubs agreed. "What, you think you should stop?"

"I'm just wondering if it's really worth it." Kyle shrugged. "She doesn't know who's sending them, so how can she know that there might be someone out there who might really want to be her friend?"

"She'd probably know there _might_ be someone. She just doesn't know if there _is_," Chubs replied. "And considering her attitude these days..."

"Yeah, I know. It's what makes me afraid to stick roses in on regular occasion anymore, now I'm wondering if she doesn't take them somewhere and crush them underfoot or something." Kyle scoffed.

Chubs rolled his eyes. "Oh, give me a break. Girls love flowers. Ask any girl what she'd like to get from a guy that likes her, she'll put flowers in the Letterman list. Though I understand a lot better why you two have never gotten along." His face scrunched up in an expression of disgust. "I dunno, but she seems to have a vendetta against me now that she knows I play Duel Monsters. I've had her challenge me a couple times. Like, on a whim."

"And what happened?"

"Lost. Every time." Chubs rolled his eyes. "Those dragons of hers are something powerful, I'm telling you. And wherever she doesn't have power in her dragons, she makes up for it through magic and trap cards. No wonder she's such stiff competition. Lemme tell you something, though, I think you should steer clear of her for a while. Ever since she got back, she's been a hell of a lot more bitchy."

"Well, don't think I'm giving her flowers to reward her bad attitude," Kyle responded, chuckling as he shuffled his deck. "They're supposed to promote a better one." He looked up at Chubs and held up his deck. "Again?"

"Sure, we've got time. Get ready to be whipped."

--

Later on that day, Kyle went to Chubs' house. He'd already been there several times in the course of the last month. His parents found it wonderful that he'd finally found a friend – _and oh, how woeful I was without friends_, he scoffed to himself – to hang out with. They didn't really seem to care where he spent his time, just as long as he was home by 6 p.m. for dinner.

When Kyle got there, as usual, Chubs was going through his binder of Duel Monsters cards. Chubs was always looking for ways to improve his deck. He didn't use his usual deck against Kyle – Kyle didn't yet have the cards or the skill to take that one on. No, Chubs used a much simpler deck against Kyle, and only improved upon it when Kyle defeated it.

Chubs smirked at Kyle as the senior entered his room. "Soon enough, Kyle, you'll see what my real deck is capable of."

"Oh, really?" Kyle took a seat at Chubs' desk, pulled a rubber band out of his jacket, and pulled his long hair back into a ponytail. "How's that?"

"The guy at the card shop said there's going to be a tourney this Saturday. People have been signing up for it like mad. I only barely got my name onto the roster before it filled up." Chubs flipped a page. "Gotta make my payment before the tourney, though, otherwise I can't participate."

"Sounds interesting enough."

"Oh, it will be. This is an official tournament. Underground, sure, but official. Whoever wins this one gets to move up to the next level." The stout boy grinned. "Guess that means me."

"Heh. I guess we'll see, at that."

"Want to come along?"

"To a Duel Monsters tournament?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.

Chubs nodded. "Sure. It'd give you a chance to see the different strategies and cards people put to use."

"They're all going to be the same cards, Chubs... the ones that are damn near impossible to find. That's how it always works, right?"

"Not necessarily," Chubs answered. "Just 'cause people participate in tournaments doesn't mean they don't use really common cards." He flipped through his card binder and pointed out three cards in particular. "La Jinn, Harpie's Brother, 7-Colored Fish... all these are monsters with decent attack powers."

"Monsters that are notably not in your deck," said Kyle. He tugged on his dark ponytail.

Chubs shrugged. "True enough. But just because they're not in my deck doesn't mean they're not good. It just means I choose not to use them. I don't find much of an appeal in these particular ones. I prefer monsters with the Fire attribute. Machine-type monsters are cool, too."

"And you like monsters with a higher attack power than 1800," Kyle responded.

"That, too, but Fire monsters with that sort of attack power are not exactly easy to come by."

"Yet you have several."

"And you think that was easy?" Chubs rolled his eyes. "You've still got a lot to learn about the game as a practice, Kyle. But don't worry, I'm willing to keep teaching you."

"You mean, beating me. You've been doing that left and right, every time we've dueled."

"Sooner or later, your deck and your strategy will be solid enough to beat mine left and right."

Kyle scoffed. "You're pretty confident in me, Chubs. Where did that come from?"

"From everything you've told me about yourself, you've changed. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but you've changed. And it's for the better. If you can change your own life so drastically, I think you ought to be able to change your luck for a card game." Chubs chuckled and began to flip through his folder again.

"Who else will be at this tournament?"

"I dunno. I don't go to too many of them. Generally I get whipped by others, so I'm out five bucks and have nothing to show for it except wounded pride. Still, I'd be willing to take an exception, in this case, to show you some other duelists and what kinds of cards you'd want to get your hands on." Chubs glanced up at Kyle. "And with your resources, you could get just about any card you please. Wish I had that kind of money."

Kyle chuckled. "You might yet, if I ever start to beat you."

"Are you bribing me to throw the game?" Chubs raised an eyebrow.

"Nope. I have to beat you, fairly and repeatedly. That's my goal. Once I get enough self-confidence from playing the game..." Kyle shrugged. "Maybe even enter a tournament... then you might find yourself with a little more in your pocket than you expected. Either that, or your birthday will get here."

Chubs snorted. "You're getting me hopeful, Kyle. And no offense, but as much of an ass as you claim you were, a part of me wonders if this isn't just some kind of cruel torture."

"Cruel torture was what I was doing to myself," said Kyle. "Wouldn't wish that on anyone else, I can tell you that. I'm thinking about having laser surgery to erase my tattoos. Maybe I can do something about my vision, too; it's getting kind of blurry."

Chubs idly looked through his folder. "I'd say your vision is a lot more straight than what it used to be. What was it like, getting all those tattoos? Doesn't sound like a pleasant experience."

"I found it pleasant," said Kyle. "I reveled in the pain. But trust me, you don't need a million needles injecting your skin with ink. Don't set your mind to getting a tattoo if there's any part of you that wouldn't want it."

"You sure made it seem like you wholeheartedly wanted all of yours."

"I did. That was a mistake, too."

"Hm." Chubs pulled a card out of his folder and showed it to Kyle. "Tyrant Dragon. That's my best card. I've depended on it before. It ought to do me some good in this tournament, I think." He slipped it into his deck. "Not too many people there would have monsters with an attack power that high."

"Didn't you say that Kaiba had three of the four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards?"

"Sure did. But not anymore, he doesn't. I dunno if you remember, but his Blue-Eyes cards were stolen a while back."

"Wonder where they might be."

Chubs shrugged. "Doubt if they would be here, of all places. You got a point to this line of questioning?"

"It's got a nearly unsurpassed attack power. Even higher than your Tyrant Dragon."

Chubs nodded. "True. But what're the chances of actually finding a Blue-Eyes at a tournament like the one I'm attending?"

"Slim to none. What if they _do_ end up being there, though?"

"A tournament as unnoticed as this one?" Chubs rolled his eyes. "Please. The duelist with those cards would more likely be using those holographic platforms KaibaCorp conjured up. They wouldn't be here; the prizes aren't that great, comparatively speaking."

"Cash money and free card packs. To most people, that sounds good."

"Good, but not great. And 'great' would be the kind of prize the duelist with the Blue-Eyes cards would be looking for."

Kyle shrugged. "Whatever."

"Yeah, whatever. You want to come to the tourney or not?"

"I don't mingle well."

"No one said you had to. Just stand around and watch. Be surly and people'll leave you alone." Chubs grinned. "You pull off 'surly' so well."

"Yeah, it's something my parents hate me for."

"Your parents hate you for a lot of stuff. What's one more thing?"

"I suppose that's true enough. Sure, I'll tag along."

"Goody."

--

Saturday - Four Days Later

--

When Kyle and Chubs got to the store, there were already several duelists there. This was hardly a tournament of the proportions that they were constantly bombarded with on cable television during prime time; these were more of the "low-down", scrapping-type duels. It was here that the "weeding" process began, where the weakest duelists were plowed over by the better ones. From here, it was to all begin and eventually escalate into the higher echelons of dueling.

It was strange to consider that prospects for becoming a famed duelist began in a seedy store like this.

Kyle felt himself unqualified to judge, however, as he was not yet as experienced as Chubs, or most of the others here, for that matter.

_Not for lack of trying_, he thought.

Chubs registered himself with the cashier, a plain-looking college-age guy with buzzed hair. Kyle hadn't seen him here before today, but something nagged him about the guy's appearance. _He looks familiar..._

"So when are we going to get any _good _duelists in here?" Chubs asked the cashier, as he handed over the entry fee.

"C'mon, Chubs, you know these are the weakling tournaments." The cashier rolled his eyes. "But I'd beware if I were you. I heard Monica plans to make an appearance."

Chubs glowered. "Dude, you _know_ how I feel about her."

"Who doesn't, in this neighborhood?" The cashier grinned. "But like I said, I'd be careful. She wouldn't even bother with these tourneys unless she wanted something."

"Yeah, to make a statement," Chubs snorted. "That's the kind of person she is."

"I know, I know. Just be careful. She's good."

"Duh." Chubs went back to Kyle's side; the long-haired teen was perusing the Duel Monsters card binders.

"Monica may be coming here," Chubs muttered. "Figured I'd give you a heads-up."

Kyle shrugged. "As long as she doesn't bother me, we'll get along just fine."

"This is_ Monica_ we're talking about here."

"Good point. I'll go huddle in a corner somewhere."

"Ah-ah. I have to deal with her, so you do, too." Chubs inspected the cards Kyle was checking out. "Hmm. There're a couple of good ones in here."

The cashier sauntered over to the two. "Anything I can do for you guys before the tourney starts? Last minute buys, that sort of thing?"

Chubs chucked a thumb at Kyle. "Maybe you can help him out. He's a starting duelist, so he needs to get his hands on some goodies."

The cashier glanced at Kyle and raised his eyebrows. "Kyle McCraine? Whoa. Now, _this_ is a surprise."

Kyle blinked, and tentatively asked, "Do... I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar."

"You used to know me." The cashier grinned and stuck out a hand. "I'm Zack. We used to hang out, back in elementary school."

Kyle blinked again, finally recognizing the boy – now a man – and shook the proffered hand. "Well, I'll be damned! A welcome surprise if I ever saw one."

"Heh, I suppose so. Came back into town last summer. There were a whole bunch of job opportunities back here, couldn't miss them. Not like where I was, there was a load of layoffs there. Been hopping from job to job. Good experience."

"You're not in college?" Kyle was surprised once again. "I thought your parents always wanted you to get a higher education."

"I'm saving up. I don't really have the discipline to make it through college yet, anyway. I'm taking this year as a kind of 'off-year' from school, so I can focus on the real world. I've found a job creates a measure of discipline. Deadlines, that sort of thing. Just what I need for classes. But I haven't totally laid the school thing away; I'm taking an online course, just to keep my groove in that area."

"Hm. Good deal, then. And you're here now?"

"No, this is a hologram of me, I'm actually over at Wal-Mart." Zack scoffed. "Yes, I'm here now. Wasn't exactly easy for me to come back, though. I mean, after Jason... well, I'm sure you remember."

"Yeah. Tough times."

"Yep. But like I said, too many jobs to miss out on. I've got quite a résumé now. Wide range. Pretty much any employer would hire me." Zack grinned. "But I've gotta keep working, otherwise I have no apartment."

"Hm." Kyle glanced around the store. "I doubt if I'll have that problem for a while yet."

"So do I, you rich bastard." Zack chuckled. "So, you here for the tournament?"

"Nah, didn't sign up in time, and probably wouldn't have even with the opportunity. Like Chubs said, I'm just a beginner. I need some good cards first."

"Huh. Didn't actually think I'd see you playing Duel Monsters."

"You won't be, today," said Kyle. "Just along for the ride, s'all."

Zack shrugged. "Whatever. Interested in our stock?"

"Depends on what you've got. I don't care about rarity, I only want what's good in a deck."

"Well, then, let's see what I can do for you." Zack turned around and pulled a black card binder off a shelf packed with similar binders. This was the only black one to be seen, however. It bore no insignia, save a small infinity loop in the spine.

"This is my restricted folder," he said, his voice low. "The kids who come in here don't know about it because they're so obsessed with booster packs."

"Booster packs haven't done much for me," Kyle responded.

"They don't do much for a lot of people. They're always scrabbling for more because they think they'll find better. And I won't say that they can't find better, but in here..." Zack patted the folder. "...these are the cards that've been restricted to one per deck because they're so powerful. Feel free to take a look."

He opened the folder, to reveal row after row of holographic cards. For every card in the folder, there were at least three copies.

"Swords of Revealing Light, Pot of Greed, Jinzo, Magic Cylinder, Monster Reborn, Change of Heart, Mirror Force, Graceful Charity, Harpie's Feather Duster, United We Stand, Morphing Jar, Limiter Removal, Witch of the Black Forest, Sangan, Mage Power, Raigeki, Dark Hole... Exodia pieces." The cashier allowed a small grin.

Kyle breathed out a curse. "Where did you get all these?"

"I'm the administrator of a website that's always on the lookout for cards like these." Zack tapped one of the pages for emphasis. "We get over a hundred thousand hits daily from people who want to both sell and buy, as well as just ogle the selection. Our provider pays us to maintain the site because we attract so many customers and give them so many hits. It's big publicity; that's how I get the money to nail all these."

"But you've gotta be getting freaking loads from your customers on the side," Kyle replied, trying to take in the implications of the folder. "What're you doing working at a place like this? You could be sitting at home and watching TV twenty-four seven."

The cashier allowed a small smile. "I could be, yeah. But I'm finding that I like this sort of work."

"Something tells me you don't offer cards like this to just any hopeful who walks in the store."

"You're right, I don't. I have to have a reputation to work with first. And everything I know about you tells me you've got a deep enough wallet to justify breaking them out."

"What have you heard about me?"

"That you've become an outcast, overly gothic and dramatic pain-in-the-ass who's obsessed with tattoos, self-mutilation, and habits that will eventually lead to suicide, if you don't happen to die before that particular decision."

Kyle snorted. "You're pretty blunt."

"Oh, those were the highlights. You probably don't want to hear the details."

Kyle shrugged. "Fair enough. Just so you know I'm not quite that way now."

"I'll have to figure that out for myself, if you truly plan on coming back in here while I'm behind the counter. In the meantime, your money's good. So what'll it be?"

Kyle took a deep breath. "I'll have to think about it a minute or so. I didn't bring all that much along with me. Hadn't really planned on buying boosters here, much less individual cards."

Zack shrugged. "I can give you a layaway deal, if you like."

"What's the length of the layaway?"

"Depends on how much money you put on what you want. More money equals more time to pay the rest. My maximum is two weeks; that's a fifteen buck layaway."

"Per card?"

The cashier nodded. "That's how rare these things are. My prices range from twenty to thirty per."

"Do you deal entirely in the restricted cards?"

Zack shook his head. "Wouldn't make much money that way, but a goodly amount of my profits are derived from transactions involving the restricted cards."

Kyle cocked his head. "I'd expect someone with cards like these to be in the tournaments. Why aren't you participating?"

Zack shrugged. "I'm more of a collector."

"Do you duel at all?"

"Sure. Though I generally don't do it here. My boss doesn't know about my dabblings on the Net, and if he saw that I had my hands on cards like this..." The cashier rolled his eyes. "Let's just say that he's not big picture. All he can see is this store and what profits he can make for it. He'd probably snatch my cards somehow."

"Then why risk bringing them in here and showing them to me?"

The cashier gave a small grin. "Because he's daft, and I like to find out just how much I can sneak past him. It's a challenge. Besides which, people like you might come in wanting something a bit more. And more is what I have to offer."

Kyle continued to peruse the folder. He glanced back up at Zack after a moment, and grinned. "I think I might be interested."

"Great. Which catches–?"

The bell to the store's door went off.

Kyle's eyes narrowed... he knew who it was without even having to look. He stayed hunched over the counter; his back was to the door, enough so that he couldn't be readily recognized.

"Uh-oh," Zack muttered, straightening up. He quickly stashed the folder.

"Well! I guess I'm here just in time."

-------

_Coming up next, the tournament everyone's been waiting for. Plus, Monica has a little something up her sleeve – the reason she visited Russia is revealed!_


	13. Tyrants and Tribulations

_A/N: Things are getting hairy around here, what with the second job I've taken up. Leaves me less time for writing and posting, I'm afraid, but them's the brakes of being a full-time college student (trying desperately to handle his grade point average) and a part-time employee (trying desperately to make money for college)... twice over! "Welcome to the real world, Mr. Morwell." In the meantime, here's chapter 13 for your reading pleasure. We've now officially exceeded **Shielded Destiny** in word length and equaled it in chapter length. And this story has almost twice the reviews, to boot. Thanks to all, and keep reading!_

_Lumen: Methinks you're starting to analyze my tactics, m'friend! But you'll have to see for yourself, now, won't you? *grins*_

_Skraku: Hm. Well, tattoo removal takes time. He wouldn't get them all taken off at once, it doesn't work that way. At least, not here, it wouldn't. Meanwhile, yes; as with Chubs, Zack is here to stay._

_Monica: The story's moving in leaps and bounds? This is chapter 13 and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface! I must be doing a good job or something. Who'd have thought? And since you asked, Chubs' real name is Cody Smith, as mentioned when he and Kyle first met. Hope you enjoy this chappie!_

------- 

Kyle rolled his eyes. _Good lord, she has to make an entrance into a low-key card shop, too?_

__Zack came shuffling back with another binder, quickly opened it, and shoved it under Kyle's nose. 

Kyle raised an eyebrow at the cashier. 

"Something else I've heard about you involves your intense distaste for her presence, and I'd really hate to have to kick either of you out of the store." He looked pointedly at Kyle. 

Kyle chuckled. "Why? You can go ahead and kick her out right now and just be done with it." 

"Can't. She hasn't done anything wrong yet. She'd raise hell and have some idiot lawyer walk in here demanding I be fired. Then I won't be in a convenient location for you to buy your cards. And I don't want to kick you out either, since you're a prospective buyer. Frankly, I'd just as soon avoid the hassle and make life easier for everyone else. But if you two get into a catfight, I don't care how many lawyers stroll in here... you _will_ be out of here." 

Kyle snorted. "Yes, _sir_." He glanced down at the cards that had been put before him. "So what the hell are these for?" 

Zack scoffed. "What, you think I'm stupid enough to allow her the opportunity to see what I've got? No way. A lot of work went into that folder. She'd want the entire thing just to make sure no one else had it. Sure, she'd give me any amount of money for them. But the investment would be bad for me in the long run." 

Kyle shrugged. "If you say so. I don't know much about business." 

"Well, I do say so." Zack glanced back at the stashed folder. "My folder, my cards, my rules." 

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Back to my question, why'd you lay _these_ cards out?" 

"Two reasons. One, they're less expensive. Two, while you're looking through them, you can avoid eye contact with her." 

"You could have told me that in the first place." 

"I could have, but I didn't." 

The bell next to the cash register began to ring repeatedly; somebody was playing with it, and it didn't take either Kyle or Zack two guesses to know who. 

"Come on, hurry up! I've got my entrance fee out and my deck ready and you're sitting there ogling commons! What do you get paid for?" 

Zack rolled his eyes. "Look through them. They have more worth in a deck than people like her think they do." He straightened up and approached the speaker. 

Kyle knew that nobody in the store would be able to escape the sound of her voice, least of all himself. He stared through the folder he'd been given and tried to focus, wondering to himself if Chubs hadn't been right after all, and giving her flowers had been a bad idea. 

"Monica Zocallos. Good to see you here today." 

"You've kept me waiting long enough," Monica grumbled. "What're you so busy staring at, anyway, that you'll take away as soon as I walk in the door? Pornography?" 

"I'll give you five bucks to come back here and see it for yourself." 

"Pervert. Don't insult me. I don't need your ripped bills. Got some nice crisp ones for that deprived cash drawer of yours." 

"Why not use the money to buy some nice crisp clothing? Or did K-Mart run out of the _decently-_cut tees that say 'Wench!' across the chest?" 

Kyle couldn't help but snort at this. He glanced at Chubs, who had sauntered back to his side. "He doesn't sound too worried about her complaining to his boss." 

Chubs chuckled. "Oh, they've been exchanging words like those for a long time. It's part of their routine." 

Monica sneered at Zack. "Don't like my clothing? Didn't think you would. You hate everything that doesn't come from the Salvation Army." 

"Of course I do. The Salvation Army is the only respectable furnisher of clothing left that doesn't publicly display and offer thongs made of dental floss." 

Kyle glanced back at Chubs. "Jeez, she's being awful nasty today. How can he just let comments like that roll off his back? There once was a time I might have slapped her silly for it." 

"He's had a lot of time to practice. He lost his ability to care about her opinions of him, because he knows it's only going to make him feel worse in the long run." Chubs raised an eyebrow at Kyle. "You ought to think about that. Might do you some good." 

Kyle snorted. "What, so I can be more sociable?" 

Chubs shrugged. "Not necessarily. Just for your own good." 

_How is it that everyone else seems to think their ideas for my own good are better than mine?_

__**_... duelist..._**

**__**Kyle snapped to attention. "Huh?" he said aloud. 

**_... long... so long... how long...?_**

**__**Kyle looked down at his left hand. Mysteriously, it had drifted up to the outline of the shield-shaped pendant beneath his shirt. 

He rolled his eyes and snorted. _Great, just great. I'm becoming delusional._

__**_... dreaming..._**

**__**He clenched his eyes shut. _Man, I need more sleep._

__He looked over at Chubs, who was giving him an odd look. "You all right?" 

"Yeah." Kyle nodded. "Just peachy." 

Chubs raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more to indicate any belief to the contrary. 

_Must be what happened with the raiders getting to me. I'll bet just about anybody who's been shot at probably has had a few weird voices go through his head..._

__**_... raiders... must... protect..._**

**__**_I had to protect myself, that's why I took the shield. God knows why it turned into a pendant. Something crazy happening there; an inanimate object can't suddenly gain and lose mass for no reason. But... I saw it happen. With my own eyes._

__Kyle shook his head. _Must be losing my mind. I ought to get a CAT scan soon._

__**_... cats...?_**

**__**Kyle blinked. _Man, I REALLY need more sleep._

__"Kyle, man, you need to sit down," said Chubs. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Just take the folder and grab a chair." 

Kyle nodded. "Maybe you're right." He closed the folder, straightened, and glanced about for an empty corner table with a convenient seat. 

"McCraine?! What the hell are _you_ doing here?" 

Kyle rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't answer. He took a seat at a table and opened the folder. 

"Fine, ignore me. Not like I really care, anyway. But you certainly couldn't be here for the tournament." 

"Actually, he is," said Chubs. 

Monica turned around and looked at the rotund teen through half-lidded eyes. "Consorting with the enemy, Chunky?" 

Chubs narrowed his eyes. "To you, everyone's an enemy. Get over yourself." 

"Oh, but it's so _fun_ to be self-absorbed." Monica grinned. Her smile was a dazzling one, and that simply disgusted Chubs even more. "Besides, I can afford it. You can't beat me at this game. Nobody can." 

"Want to place a wager on that?" 

"I've already placed my wager with our esteemed host." Monica glowered at Zack, who was busy writing something on a sheet of paper. "It's the only wager I'll need to place. I guarantee you I won't lose." She looked back at Kyle and snorted. "If you really _are_ here for the tournament, you're wasting your time. You don't have the desire or the brainpower to play this game. Why don't you go huddle in some alley with an infected needle?" 

_Hnh. I probably would do that, too... but for the first time since I can remember... I don't want to hurt myself._

__Chubs growled. "I guarantee you'll pay for that one, Monica. Bring it on." 

"Oh? Defending the gothic maggot, are you? Since when did _you_ decide he was a fine, upstanding citizen of society?" 

"The same day I decided you weren't." 

Monica glared. "Let's get on with this disgrace to the word 'tournament', fat boy." 

"Yes, let's," Zack interjected. He stepped out from behind the counter and tacked a piece of paper onto the bulletin board. "Here's the bracket. Find your opponents; the dueling will begin in five minutes." 

-- 

Kyle wove his way through the duels taking place. The setup was simple enough; the starting bracket had 16 contenders, with eight one-on-one battles. The eight winners would be placed in subsequent brackets of four, then two, then a final match, and the winner of the last duel would be the winner overall. Unlike the mid-level tourneys, there were no matches here; these duelists were given one shot and one shot only. 

The only duelist he much cared to watch was Chubs, but Kyle already knew half the cards in his deck. Chubs's strategy was rather straightforward anyway: beat down the opponent with direct Life Point attacks through use of either monsters or magic cards. Chubs seemed to particularly favor magic cards that had the ability to destroy Life Points directly, whenever beating down the opponent's defenses wasn't a viable strategy. 

_What I need to do is find something that will stop the use of magic cards. My problem isn't getting monsters to the field; it's protecting my Life Points from his burn cards._

__"Activate Imperial Order!" a random duelist announced. The kid was smirking. "Stops your Pot of Greed in its tracks. And any other magic card you play, for that matter. All for the cost of 700 Life Points per turn." 

_Chubs's burn cards are all magic cards. Maybe I'll talk to the cashier about getting one of those._

__**_.... imperial... empire..._**

**__**_That's it. After this tourney, I'm taking a sleeping pill, and I don't care where I conk out, just as long as I can get my sleep._

_**... sleep... slept so long... dream...**_

_****__Maybe have some of those, too. Nice ones. Haven't had a really good dream in a long time._

__The duels moved quickly. Chubs, much to Monica's announced surprise and apparent dismay, rose through the brackets and placed himself as one of the final four. Kyle wasn't surprised by this; he knew Chubs was a decent duelist, and after all, the man had told him several times of having placed first in the scrap tourneys before. The problem was the higher level tourneys, where Chubs got busted within the first two rounds. 

But, to the dismay of most of the others in the store, Monica also placed in the final four. No one was surprised, not even Kyle. They all knew of her reputation. 

The duels lasted somewhere between five and ten minutes. They were fought out at the same time. As expected, Monica won the duel against the person she'd been set up with. Admittedly, the guy did put up a good fight; Kyle looked forward to whoever Monica's competition would be. 

What _did_ surprise everyone (with the possible exception of Kyle) was that Chubs made it to the final round alongside Monica. His duel ended up being a lot closer than hers; he only had 100 Life Points left to work with, but it was enough for him to play Ookazi, an 800 Life Point burn card, when his opponent was at 750 Life Points. 

Neither finalist was happy to see the other had made it that far. 

Chubs and Monica seated themselves at the card table set up in the center of the store. Several of the losing duelists were gathered around the table. Kyle was in their midst; specifically, he was standing over Chubs's left shoulder. 

Chubs leveled a determined glare at Monica. "Want to take back your rude comments now or when I beat you?" 

Monica snorted. "Whatever you think will happen, Chubby, I guarantee you, won't. You have no idea what I've got in store for you." She shuffled her deck. "And I didn't even need it to beat the others." 

"Beat that girl down, Chubs." 

"Yeah, man, show her you don't take no crap!" 

"Just like you showed me, man, show her!" 

Kyle couldn't help but grin at the comments that were springing up among the gathered duelists. 

Monica, for her part, snorted at the barbs. "Asking someone else to do the dirty work you couldn't accomplish? Pathetic. You earn what you get." 

"Yeah, well, some of us actually _did_ earn what we got," said Chubs. "We didn't have anyone giving us a million bucks just 'cause they felt like it." 

"Pity. You could have gotten better cards." 

"Criticizing my deck already? Bring it on." 

"Ready when you are." 

Zack set up the duelist calculator and input their starting 2000 Life Points. 

And in unison, they said, "Let's duel." 

Chubs made the first move. "I place one magic/trap and one monster in face-down defense mode, then end my turn." 

"Hmm." On the field, she placed a magic card whose picture contained a feather duster. "I play Harpie's Feather Duster to destroy your face-down magic/trap, and then play Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode." 

Maha Vailo was not a Dragon-type monster, but a Spellcaster-type instead. The picture showed a blue-robed sorcerer sitting cross-legged in midair, his eyes closed in meditation. 

Chubs sighed as he discarded his face-down trap. "I coulda used that Trap Hole." 

"Maha attacks your face-down." 

"UFO Turtle (1400/1200) is destroyed. Activate his special effect; I special summon Lady Assailant of Flames (1500/1000) from my deck to the field in attack mode." 

Monica snorted. "Bait for my Maha Vailo? I place two magic/traps face-down and end my turn." 

"Just you wait." Chubs drew. "I play Garoozis (1800/1500) in attack mode and attack your Maha Vailo." 

Monica put her monster in the graveyard, but she didn't lose the smug look on her face, even as her precious Life Points were reduced to 1750. 

She drew. "I play The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (1300/2000) in defense mode and end my turn." 

Chubs shrugged as he drew. "Have it your way. I play Flame Cerebrus (2100/1800) in attack mode and attack your dragon." 

Monica apparently was not fazed by this turn of events. She put her dragon in the graveyard, then drew her next card. "I place one monster in face-down defense mode and end my turn." 

"You can only defend yourself so long." Chubs drew. "Flame Cerebrus attacks your face-down." 

"Skelengel (900/400) is destroyed, and I activate his effect to draw a card." Monica drew her next card. 

Chubs rolled his eyes. "I'll end my turn. You looking for something?" 

"Maybe." Monica drew. "I play the magic card Raigeki to destroy all monsters on your field." 

Chubs sighed and sent his monsters to the graveyard. 

"Then I play Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 (1400/1200) in attack mode and equip him with Dragon Treasure to increase his attack and defense by 300." 

"Joy." 

"Winged Dragon attacks your Life Points directly." 

Chubs made a growling noise in the back of his throat. Kyle wasn't the only one who could hear it, but it was tough to pick out among the assorted moans and groan of the gathered duelists. In one turn, Monica had nearly wiped out Chubs's Life Points. Of course, Chubs still had 300 LP left, but that wasn't much to work with. 

"May as well draw your next card, chunky, 'cause you're not getting any thinner." 

"And you couldn't get any thinner if you tried." Nevertheless, Chubs drew. 

Kyle fought the urge to grin. _That one'll get her back for sure._

__"I play Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) in attack mode and attack your Winged Dragon." 

Monica never lost her confident grin, despite the fact that her Life Points were descending to 550, nearly as low as his. "Fine by me." 

Chubs crossed his arms. "I dunno what you've got waiting, but nothing you have can beat my Tyrant Dragon." 

"That's where you're wrong." Monica placed a monster card face-up, in attack mode, and waited several moments for everyone to recognize it. 

The other duelists gasped and emitted low murmurs of disbelief. Kyle peered over Chubs's head and spied the picture. 

He recognized it, as well... and he couldn't help but gasp in amazement. 

_I was right...!_

__"Not only that," said Monica, grinning like a maniac, "but I play the magic card Riryoku, which cuts your Tyrant Dragon's attack power in half, and adds that lost power to my monster. 

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500), now with 1450 extra attack points, attacks Tyrant Dragon." 

"Unbelievable," Zack breathed, barely remembering to perform the suddenly unnecessary calculation. 

Monica smirked at Chubs. "There. I put my money where my mouth is. Never ever underestimate _my_ cards." 

-- 

_And this is where we end, for now. I'll bet you're wondering what happens next, right? Well, you'll just have to find out for yourself, when next I update the story! And for those duelists / YGO loyalists out there, you'll notice I was using the Duelist Kingdom rules. Battle City has not yet taken place. But it will, soon enough. Next up, Kyle tries his luck in a tournament of his own. Stay tuned!_


	14. To Challenge the Unstoppable

_A/N: Well, less people are reviewing, but I don't mind, as long as they're reading the story! Here's chapter 14 for your reading pleasure. Not too much action going on here, but it does give you an idea of events to come. Enjoy!_

_Skraku: Heh, I think The Original Monica would object to that idea. Though I'm glad you're continuing to enjoy Zack, and that you're paying attention to the dialogue. Fun for me! Kudos to you!_

_Ankhutenshi: There's something to be said for making sure the duels are as accurate as possible. I wonder just how many of us have gotten annoyed at the effects "as seen on TV". And you scared people with your laughing? Yay! This story is starting to take effect. *evil grin* Meantime, I hope you enjoy this chappie._

------- 

Two Weeks Later 

-- 

This day again saw Kyle and Chubs sitting at their lunch table, and now they were obsessing – as they had been since that fateful day – about the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Chubs shook his head. "Man. Can you think of anything else?" 

"Maybe she peeled the holographic backing off another card?" Kyle suggested. "Which could be how she got the authentication stamp on the corner. That's just another part of the backing." 

"Nah. The picture's holographic, too, so it's also part of the backing. So is the name. Which means it's genuine." 

They'd been throwing around theories as to how the card could be fake every lunch period since that day. So far, they'd yet to come up with any plausible theory. The card couldn't have been photocopied because of the holographic markers, it probably wasn't a duplicate because even Monica didn't have the money necessary to convince Industrial Illusions that it was worth the trouble, the name was written in both Japanese (as its origins were in Japan) and English so that no one would mistake it for another monster... 

"The picture's unique, too." Kyle shifted around in his seat. "I looked it up on the Net. There're only four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. Three of those four are unique pictures, each one different, while the fourth was classified as a duplicate misprint that was accidentally released. No one knows who has the fourth one. But my research did show which one was the duplicate, and the one she's got isn't that one." 

Both of them sighed in unison. Kyle tossed up a hand, a sign of intellectual defeat. "So as far as we both can tell, that thing is real. How did she get it?" 

"Beats me, but I could probably give it a couple guesses." 

"Go for it." 

"She could have dueled someone for it, or she could have bought it off someone." 

Kyle frowned. "But they were stolen. So the only way she could have gotten it either of those ways is–" 

"If she was somehow involved with the people who stole them in the first place? Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. But would even Monica stoop that low?" 

"Let's assume she would. What now?" 

"I imagine someone would probably try to get hold of Kaiba and tell him that one of his Blue-Eyes cards is here in America." 

"And would he believe that one of his beloved Blue-Eyes fell into the hands of a whiny brat like Monica?" 

"Well, hey, if you think about it, she idolizes him. She's got the same snobbish attitude, the same confidence in herself, the same sorts of cards he favors – specifically, dragons – and at this point, she's probably got any number of ways of ensuring that Blue-Eyes makes it into the duels that count. She's gonna level up in the tiers pretty quick." 

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Tiers?" 

"Yeah. When you're wanting to go through tournaments, you start at the lowest tier, Level One. So you and I are Level One duelists. When you win a tournament, you level up. So say if you won a Level One tourney, you'd be a Level Two duelist. At that point, you can enter a Level Two tournament. Even if you lose a Level Two tourney, you'll still retain your rank, and you can try again whenever they have another Level Two tourney. Each tier has a different location where it's played. Level One, that's like the underground. Level Two is regionals. Three, that's state-wide. Four's national. Five is international. Each tier is held at a different location." 

"So the tournament at the card shop is what level? Two?" 

"No, One." 

Kyle frowned. "Then what were you doing there? You said that you'd won tourneys before." 

"Yeah, but the tier system resets every year, so you have to go through it all over again. Otherwise Monica probably wouldn't have shown up there, either. It's meant to be a constant challenge to duelists. This is serious stuff." 

Kyle scoffed. "I guess so. And here we are close to the end of February. Doesn't afford a whole lot of time to get to the international level, huh?" 

"Hell, international level's, like, impossible. That's where people like Kaiba have a standing." 

"And Monica, too, pretty soon. With that Blue-Eyes..." 

**_...blue... eyes... blue-eyed... creature..._**

A slight frown creased Kyle's brow as he tried to ignore this voice that had been pervading his thoughts for some time, now. It appeared only occasionally, but it seemed to happen during the most inconvenient times, and it always seemed to mimic what he was saying. Yet the tone of this voice – if a mental voice could have a tone – was clearly not his own, and it was beginning to worry him that there seemed to be another... presence writhing within him. 

And yet, for some strange reason, he found himself unable to tell Dr. Dawson about it. Something seemed to be keeping him from doing so. _Maybe it's because this voice started after we came home from Egypt, and all that nonsense... and I'd have to tell him about everything that happened there, and...hell, I just don't want to tell him._

_But is it really me that doesn't want to tell him, or this voice...?_

_No. No way. That's ridiculous. This voice can't be making me do what it wants._

_Can it?_

_...Boy, I'm not gonna sleep tonight._

"Even with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, she's not guaranteed the win," Chubs pointed out. "With a single power-up, my Tyrant Dragon could take it down. It just wasn't my turn when she brought it out. She's got a one in forty chance of drawing it, and that's the most generous fraction you could give it, since most decks tend to have more than forty cards." 

"Yeah, but if she had a forty-card deck, and she drew her first five cards from the top and didn't get the Blue-Eyes, it'd be one in thirty-five. And then her opening draw, so it's one in thirty-four... gets better and better, huh?" 

Chubs rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, okay, one in thirty-four, at best. This is why you're a senior and I'm a sophomore." 

Kyle snorted, then pulled his deck out of his coat pocket and idly began riffling it. Chubs watched his companion carefully. "Still think Monica needs a friend? I'd say that Blue-Eyes is doing her quite well these days." 

"Depends on what you think. Is it friendship to make sure your cohort doesn't get a swollen head?" 

Chubs scoffed. "Jeez, Kyle, don't tell me you're getting into this 'wooing her to my tune' crap. Allow me to be up-front about the woman: she's a conniving, self-absorbed brat who's got too much money to grow up. Why you're chasing after her, I'll never know, except to hope that perhaps, in your own twisted way, this is how you're trying to scare her off, like you said you wanted to." 

The senior shrugged and raked his fingers through his long hair. "Plans change. So do people. Like myself, and I seem to recall you noting that on several occasions." 

"Well, yeah. Mom heard a few horror stories about the infamous Kyle McCraine before sending me off to his school, y'know." Chubs chuckled. "Tell you the truth, she got real nervous when I told her who I'd made friends with that first day back. She thought I was gonna start smoking and hanging out with gangs after school." 

Kyle's expression was one of concession. "That's how I used to be. Not these days, though." 

"Which is just as well, since Mom seems to like you now." Chubs loosed another sound of amusement. "She thinks you're quite well-mannered. Though she does have a few choice things to say about how you dress." 

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it's all hideous. I've been meaning to go out and get some new clothes, just haven't had the time for it." 

"Oh, that's a lie, you just haven't bothered," Chubs chided knowingly. "I say 'I meant to do this and that, just haven't had the time' whenever it involves something I'd prefer to avoid. How about you?" 

Kyle shrugged. "Depends. Sometimes I don't even go to the effort of trying to fake someone out and flat-out say, 'Don't remind me.' Why bother beating around the bush?" 

"True enough," Chubs conceded. "But getting back to the subject at hand... what're you gonna do about Monica? You mentioned something about humility; I'd love to see that in her. I'd _pay_ to see that in her." 

"Well..." Kyle shifted around in his chair. "I think I should try to keep up." 

Chubs raised an eyebrow. "And how, pray tell, are you planning to do that?" 

"Enter a tournament." 

At this, Chubs blinked. "You serious?" 

"Yeah. I know the rules, I've got a good deck going when dueling against you..." 

"You haven't dueled against the deck I use in tournaments." 

"Maybe not, but it would at least give me the experience I need, if nothing else. Right? I can't just duel you all the time and make that the standard by which I judge my skill. I could duel you and win until I'm blue in the face and still get knocked out in the first round of an underground tourney." 

"Thanks for your vote of confidence in my deck," Chubs snorted. "Just because Monica blew my Tyrant Dragon away–" 

"I'm not dissing your deck, and you know it. You know what I'm getting at. I should start competing." 

"Wonder what your parents would have to say about that." 

"You don't seriously think I give a damn what my parents think, do you?" 

"Nope, not at all," Chubs answered. "Just curious, s'all." 

-- 

"A what?" 

Kyle had to fight down a grin as he chewed his mashed potatoes. He'd expected this reaction, and in his own way, was gratified to see that he could predict his parents so well. _They make this all so easy. Yay me._

He looked back up at his father, who was offering him an incredulous expression. "A Duel Monsters tournament? Why would you want to go to one of those?" 

Kyle shrugged. "Chubs took me to one, and I liked how it all worked out, so–" 

"Don't you have studies to worry about? Homework, that sort of thing?" 

Kyle rolled his eyes, also having expected this part of the conversation. He hadn't really been looking forward to it. "I get all my homework done on Fridays. You know that. The tourney is on a Saturday afternoon. I just told you that. I know the game doesn't interest you, but if you're going to ask me what's been going on, could you perhaps do me a courtesy and hear _all_ of what I'm saying? It may not sound like it's going anywhere, but it _does_ all tie together. Just like a good novel." 

**_...tie... together..._**

His father frowned and rolled his eyes. "Kyle, I must say that while your language has improved remarkably, your rudeness remains quite the thorn in my side. There are more tactful ways of attempting to ensnare my attention, and _before_ you launch into discussion of a subject that, as you yourself said, does not interest me." 

"Fine, I'll just make it short and sweet. Duel Monsters tournament. This Saturday. I'll have my studies finished by then. I plan to attend. I'm already on the bracket." 

"Hm. There you go. Just don't make this card-playing thing such a hobby that it distracts you from what's important. You can't really get anywhere just playing silly games all your life." His father gave Kyle a pointed look. 

Kyle, for his part, shrugged. "Who says so? Sports players do it all the time." 

"Yes, well, you're not going to be a sports player, are you?" 

_Cripes._ "I'm going to be what I'm going to be," Kyle answered neutrally. "And I'll make sure it's a profession that I'm good at, and one that I enjoy, so that I'll stick with it and continue to be good at it." 

His father didn't seem willing to let that one pass. "Kyle... medicine is your future." 

**_...future..._**

Kyle ignored the voice and concentrated on his father. "There's a difference between medicine being my future and being _in_ my future. I'm sure there'll be plenty of medications I'll take later on in life, but for the moment, would you at least allow me to entertain the thought that I have control of myself and who I'll become?" 

"You _do_ have control of who you become," his father answered. "We simply want the best for you. Being a doctor is one of the best professions anyone could ask for." 

Kyle chose not to dignify this lecture with a response. He simply continued to eat. 

-- 

Friday afternoon, Kyle decided to drop by the card shop. Chubs and his mom were going to visit his aunt that evening, so he had to go straight home, but Kyle felt secure enough in what he was doing. Besides, Zack was working there, and he was the one Kyle really wanted to talk to. 

When he arrived, he noticed that unlike the day of the tournament, the place was rather bare of customers. Zack was sitting behind the counter, reading a Duel Monsters magazine. From the look on his face, Kyle decided to hazard a guess that Zack wasn't very pleased with what he was looking at. Zack took a few moments to notice Kyle approaching the counter, but when he glanced up, he immediately straightened and snapped his magazine shut. "Hey, Kyle." 

"Hey." Kyle glanced around. "Is your boss here?" 

"Nah, he doesn't come in much these days. Called in last week, said he had stomach problems." 

"Well, flu's still around," Kyle said. "Anyway, I'm asking because I need some cards." 

Zack raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Cards this shop might not be able to provide?" 

"You've got it." 

"Hm. I hope you'll understand if I'm leery about actually conducting my own business while I'm getting paid to conduct someone else's." 

"Oh, please," Kyle snorted. "You showed me the cards in the first place, so obviously you're not leery about advertising your own business while conducting someone else's. You said my money was good, and you were about two seconds away from selling some of those goodies to me. That was even more risky than it would be now, because there were other people present who could have seen them at any time. Now you've got practically no business, and no boss hovering over your shoulder. And you'll refuse yourself business because of a reason you seemed to consider insignificant three weeks ago?" 

"Relax, Kyle, I intend to sell you the cards you want," Zack replied. "I wanted to know how sure you were that you wanted them." 

At this, Kyle frowned. "What do you mean by that?" 

"Exactly that. If you had backed down, that would have shown me you were still unsure about yourself and the choices you're making. But you stood up instead." Zack smirked. "I need to see you duel sometime." 

"If you're here tomorrow, you'll have the chance. I _am _on the bracket, you know," Kyle remarked. "Now, about those cards" 

"Yep, just a minute." Zack retrieved the black binder, which had been moved from the shelf to his backpack. Zack noted Kyle's questioning look. "The boss almost caught these. Can't have him picking through it. So I made the wiser choice to keep them with me." 

Kyle flipped the folder open and began perusing it. "Might I ask who else buys from this folder? As in, not online clients, but people who come to you directly and say, 'I want this.'" 

"Not many at all, really. Only people who have a rep in their game or their wallet. Bonus if both." 

"But not Monica." 

"Ech. Don't remind me of her." Zack made a face. "I'd give a lot to find out how the hell she got her greedy little hands on arguably one of the rarest cards on the planet." 

"I'll bet a lot of people would give just as much," said Kyle, as he began making his selections. "But you don't sell to people like Monica?" 

"Not directly, I don't. People I sell to on a real-life basis have to have some sort of integrity about them. Otherwise, I don't give a damn what their reputation is or how rich they are as compared to Mr. Gates." 

Kyle scoffed as he pulled out another card. "This one, too." 

"Good deal. You gonna put them on layaway, or you gonna pay for them now?" 

"Right here, right now. I've got the cash for it." 

"Hm. Not many people I know tend to carry that much cash on them, either. Too much chance of getting ripped off." 

"How do I know you're not ripping me off with your prices?" Kyle grinned. 

Zack responded to Kyle's expression with a grin of his own, albeit a wry one. "Touché. You don't, really, unless you happen to buy a price guide." 

Kyle made a few more selections, and Zack raised an eyebrow. "You planning on putting _all_ of those in your deck for tomorrow?" 

"Nah, I just want to have them for when the time comes to modify my deck. By then, I'll know what works and what doesn't, and what the best strategies are." 

Zack nodded. "Good idea, then. You have this much money on you?" 

"Sure do." Kyle offered a wry grin of his own. "Apparently, my apparel is enough to make most people think twice about trying to rob me." 

"Ah-ha. Yeah, that would do it." Zack inspected the zipper-laden pants and black overcoat Kyle had grown accustomed to wearing. "You know, black's out this year." 

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking." 

"I would, but I'm probably distracting you from making your choices, right?" 

"Something like that. And this one." Kyle pulled out a card that had been put in the back of the folder. "I trust you have more copies than just three of each." 

"Of course I do. I just keep these with me, just in case." 

"Probably a good idea. What's the damage?" 

"Umm" Zack flipped to the front of the binder. Glued to the inside cover was a sheet of laminated paper, festooned with colorful texts and fonts – a price list for every card present within the folder. "You're looking at about a hundred twenty." 

"Hm. All right." Kyle pulled out his wallet and promptly deposited six $20 bills on the counter. 

Zack whistled. "Jeez, you weren't kidding. Anything else I can help you out with?" 

"I suppose, while we're at it. What are some good, strong monsters to have, besides the Blue-Eyes cards?" 

Zack thought on this for a moment. "Well, there's a series of cards almost as rare as the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. They're called the Labyrinth Brothers, and if you ever run into one in battle, never ever try to destroy it with a direct attack. You're pretty much guaranteed to lose the duel automatically." 

"Why's that?" 

"They're effect monsters. They all have the same effect of reducing the attack power of an attacking monster to zero. But the attack still goes through. So it's like having a monster with an attack power of zero – say, for example, Unhappy Maiden – is attacking a monster in attack position on your opponent's field. The Brothers all have attack powers well beyond two thousand. And that's why you'd lose the duel." 

"And just how rare are these Labyrinth Brothers?" 

"Each Brother, I hear, is as rare at the Blue-Eyes White Dragons are. Only three for each." 

"How many different Brothers are there?" 

"Three, which makes for nine Labyrinth Brother cards total. And as with the Blue-Eyes cards, the Brothers have a combined form. When three unique Brothers are in play, you can use them somehow to bring out another monster called Gate Guardian, which is" Zack blew out a breath. "I've never even seen a picture of a Gate Guardian card, so I've got no idea what its attack power is or what it does. I know it's an effect monster, but no more than that." 

**_...Guardian..._**

Zack offered an encouraging smile. "But you shouldn't worry about that. I kinda doubt you'd be seeing a Labyrinth Brother show up in a tournament here." 

"A Blue-Eyes showed up here," Kyle pointed out. 

"True enough. But the odds are still against you seeing one here." 

"If you say so. I don't suppose you've ever come into contact with a Labyrinth Brother before, have you?" 

"Mmm, I wouldn't say that," Zack answered cryptically, accentuating his response with a small smile. "Let's just say I have a little knowledge in these matters." 

"Uh-huh." Kyle gave Zack a look. "I'm gonna keep my eye on you." 

"You do that." 

"I will." Kyle picked up his purchased cards, stuck them in his coat's inner pocket, and headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

As the door swung closed, Zack returned his binder to his backpack, removed a Duel Monsters deck from a smaller pocket, flipped through them until a particular card shone up at him... 

...and he smirked. 

------- 

_Makes you wonder what's giving him cause to smirk, hm? Hope you're enjoying so far! Next up – Kyle's tournament. Stay tuned!_


	15. Enter One Kyle McCraine

_A/N: Am I becoming predictable all of a sudden? Three people who reviewed last chapter offered the exact same reason why Zack smiled! For that, I offer you this chapter... one day late! Bah. To heck with deadlines, I'm gonna go play Armada 2._

_Skraku: That boot may yet appear, my friend. And your hands are in another region of the country, so I'm not particularly worried. *grins*_

_Wolf: You want to see evil, you might want to stop looking at Monica and start looking at the horizon. *smirks* And no, I've not yet scratched the surface, begun to fight, rubbed noses, clinked glasses, sung "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", raised the Rubicon, tested the waters, kicked off, or teed off._

_(Ankhutenshi: *glances at the phrase he just used* See what you made me do, remembering that show? It'll be playing on my stereo repeatedly until the next chapter now...)_

_Lumen: You're doing admirably, my friend, but it's not yet been confirmed one way or the other, so just stick with the story and see what happens. And "conversion", as such, isn't a requisite for enjoying the story – at least, last I knew it wasn't – just as long as you're enjoying it._

_Wolfwings: No worries! All will be revealed in due time. But I'm a suspense writer, that's what I do, is leave people hanging. I'll never get a girl that way, but I've resigned myself to that._

_Penny: I'm keeping that simile. Kudos!_

------- 

Kyle pulled into Chubs' driveway and honked his horn once, a short burst. He knew that honking one's horn was actually an illegal practice, but on the other hand, it was a common enough practice that he was pretty sure no one was going to call the police on him for it. 

Chubs came out the front door and bounded over to Kyle's car. As he jumped in and buckled his seat belt, Kyle chuckled. "The tournament doesn't start for a good half hour, yet." 

**_...tournament... competition..._**

"Yeah, but I'm eager. You in a tournament. No way I'm going to miss that. And I want to scout out the opposition, too. See what you're up against." 

Kyle shrugged. "If you say so." With that, he drove them to the card shop. 

Zack hadn't yet set up the bracket, since there were some duelists who'd signed up that hadn't arrived. Kyle sat down at one table and shuffled his deck idly while Chubs paced back and forth. Kyle grinned up at his stout companion. "Man, you worry too much." 

"I've got good reason to be worried, I think. You haven't yet dueled my tourney deck and you seem to think you can make it through in a place like this." 

"Three weeks ago you were one of the toughest players here, and you're not doing it this time around. So stop worrying." 

**_...worried... worry..._**

Chubs sighed and sat down on a bench next to the front window; not knowing what else he could do, he looked up at Zack and said, "Hey, have you got some cards I could take a look at?" 

"What rarity?" Zack asked. 

"Um. Normal and super rare?" 

"Think I've got something to suit your fancy." Zack fished around behind the counter for a moment and pulled out a pair of binders. He handed them to Chubs as the shorter teen approached the counter. "Price guides in the front." 

"Thanks." Chubs took them back to his seat and began looking through them. 

Zack walked over to Kyle and grinned. "Excited?" 

"You bet. Might actually find I'm good at something, for once." 

"Always fun." 

Kyle looked at Zack in curiosity. "What level duelist are you?" 

"Level Two. Just got promoted last week. Did a tourney in here." 

"You played in the same tournament you were administrating?" 

Zack chuckled. "Believe me, Kyle, it didn't take all that long to finish my duels." 

"Hm." Kyle leaned back in his chair. "Is there a prize beyond going up one level?" 

"There is, today. A particularly rare effect monster card that was produced a while back; hard to come across these days. Not as hard as a Blue-Eyes, obviously, but still tough. And in perfect condition, too, so whoever gets it better not ruin it, otherwise they'll answer to the guy who's providing it." 

"It's coming from your site?" 

"Well, hey, I've gotta advertise somehow." Zack winked. "People are gonna ask where I got that, and I'll tell them where." He sighed. "I swear, though, Kyle, I've seen some kids come in here with their cards all ripped and torn and faded, some even crumpled up. They've got more wrinkles in them than my grandfather's face. And they ask if they can 'trade them in' for rare cards. I'm obligated to tell them no, because no one's got any use for a crumpled card." 

**_...faded... fading..._**

"Makes sense," Kyle said, pointedly ignoring the voice echoing in his mind. "So if nothing else, I should beat the ones who don't take care of their cards?" 

"You've got it. Wrinkled cards aren't tournament legal, anyway. Then someone'd be able to know what the next card off their deck was. That's not fair play. So let me know if you see any." 

"Will do." 

Zack went back to his position behind the counter and checked his watch. "Five before the hour. Time to start the bracket." 

-- 

Within ten minutes, Kyle found himself facing off against a girl from the junior high school, by the name of Jamie. She didn't look the slightest bit nervous; in fact, she looked a bit smug. Kyle wondered just how long that look would remain on her face. 

_Until a duelist of higher caliber wipes it off_, he guessed. "Who'll go first?" 

"You can go," she said. 

"Hm. Okay." He drew his first five cards and then a sixth one for his first move. He considered the cards in his hand, then said, "I play People Running About (600/600) in defense mode." 

Jamie almost laughed out loud. "I can't believe you'd keep such a weak monster in your deck! But fine, if that's the way you want it... I play Disk Magician (1350/1000) in attack mode, and have Magician attack your People." 

**_...magician..._**

"Destroyed, then." Kyle sent his People Running About to the graveyard. 

Jamie smirked. "End turn. You're not doing so well. First time?" 

"To a tournament, yes. Dueling, no. Just drawing you out." Kyle drew his next card. "I play Kabazauls (1700/1500) in attack mode. Kabazauls attacks Disk Magician." 

At this, Jamie narrowed her eyes at her opponent and sent her Magician to the graveyard, also making sure to subtract 350 Life Points from her original 2000 on her duelist calculator. 

Kyle grinned. "And that'll end my turn." 

"Hmph." Jamie drew. "I play Prevent Rat (500/2000) in defense mode and end my turn. Try destroying _that_, Mr. Amateur." 

Kyle drew his next card. "I don't think I'll be able to manage that this turn, but I _will_ play Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) in attack mode. I'll also place one magic/trap card face-down, and end my turn there." 

Jamie drew. "Hm. Okay. I play Inpachi (1600/1900) in defense mode, and end my turn." She smirked at him. "Come on, you keep this up and you'll never touch my Life Points." 

"We'll see." Kyle drew. "I play Curse of Dragon (2000/1500) in attack mode, and attack your Inpachi." 

"Destroyed." 

"End turn." 

"Fine." She drew her next card, and then giggled. "Okay. I play the magic card Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards." 

**_...greed..._**

"I'm well-aware of its effect, thank you." 

"Good. Therefore you should know that it does wonders, like bring me this card." She plucked a card from her hand and placed it daintily on the field. "I play Zoa (2600/1900) in attack mode. Zoa attacks your Kabazauls." 

Kyle frowned and sent Kabazauls to the graveyard, then took his Life Points down to 1100. 

"That ends my turn." 

"Hm." Kyle drew his next card, and smiled. "All right, then. I flip my face-down card up, to reveal Dark Hole, thus destroying every monster on the field." 

Jamie growled, but sent her Prevent Rat and Zoa to the graveyard. Kyle likewise removed his Curse of Dragon and Neo the Magic Swordsman from the field. She grunted. "At least your monsters are off the field, too." 

"True enough, but yours won't be. Not permanently, anyway. I play the magic card Monster Reborn, and I'll use it to revive your Zoa, which will then attack your Life Points directly." 

**_...attack..._**

She groaned. "That ends the game." 

"Yes, indeed. Better luck next time, hm?" Kyle smiled and shuffled his cards back into his deck. 

She huffed. "You don't _need_ to rub it in, y'know." And with that, she walked out of the shop. 

Kyle shrugged. _Her loss, not mine._ He went over to Zack, who was still comfortably positioned behind the counter – upon closer inspection, he saw that Zack was actually mounted on a stool – and said, "I won the first round." 

"Good to hear," said Zack. "That didn't take long. Don't expect all of it to be so easy." 

"I don't." 

-- 

Kyle's next challenge was a short, dark-haired boy of about sixteen years, named Brian. The boy exuded confidence, but unlike his predecessor, he didn't act smug. Instead, he simply stared at Kyle as they shuffled their decks. "I'll go first, if you don't mind." 

"Not at all," Kyle responded, drawing his first five cards. 

"Okay." Brian drew his sixth card, and made his move. "I play Rude Kaiser (1800/1600) in attack mode, and place one magic/trap card face-down. Your turn." 

Kyle narrowed his eyes at Brian's field. _The face-down is probably a trap of some sort. I guess that means I'll have to set my own if I want to keep up._ He drew his next card, and then announced, "I'll also place one magic/trap card face-down, and play Curse of Dragon (2000/1500) in attack mode." 

"Activate Trap Hole," Brian answered. "And I do believe Curse of Dragon has an attack power above a thousand, so... bye-bye to him." 

_Hm. I was right. Now let's see if he falls for mine._ Kyle sent his Curse of Dragon to the graveyard. "I guess it's your turn, then." 

"That it is." Brian drew his next card and chuckled. "All right, then. I play Uraby (1500/800) in attack mode, and Rude Kaiser attacks your Life Points." 

**_...trap..._**

"No, he doesn't." Kyle flipped over his face-down card. "Activate Negate Attack, which nulls your attacking for this turn." 

"Indeed. Your turn, then." 

Kyle drew his next card and rolled his eyes. "Not the best card in my deck, but this'll do. I play Robotic Knight (1600/1800) in defense mode, and end my turn there." 

"Not doing well? Shame. I'm on a roll," Brian remarked as he drew his next card. "I play King of Yamimakai (2000/1530) in attack mode. King attacks your Knight." 

"Destroyed." Kyle sighed as he removed his Robotic Knight from the field. 

"Your turn." 

Kyle's next draw yielded him yet another weaker monster card. _But I place a little more value in this one._ "I place Marie the Fallen One (1700/1200) in defense mode and end my turn." 

Brian raised an eyebrow. "An effect monster that only does you some good in the graveyard. What, you're just waiting for me to destroy it, aren't you?" 

"That's the general idea, yes." 

Kyle's opponent drew his next card. "Well, it's not going to work exactly like you want it to. I equip the magic card Fairy Meteor Crush to King of Yamimakai. This little number forces you to take Life Point damage even if your monsters are in defense mode." Brian allowed a small smile. "Making your Life Points easy prey when your monster has a defense power that low. King attacks Marie." 

"Destroyed... and I lose eight hundred Life Points in the process," Kyle mumbled, programming the appropriate result into his calculator. _Only good thing about that play was that Marie's ability kicks in. Maybe my luck will turn around with this next card._

"That ends my turn." 

Kyle drew, and almost audibly groaned. _This would do me less good in defense mode than in attack mode! But I don't have many alternatives at the moment, so..._ "First, Marie the Fallen One's ability activates, to give me an extra two hundred Life Points, and then I play Kabazauls (1700/1500) in attack mode, and end my turn there." 

Brian snorted as he drew his next card. "Nice. But okay. King attacks Kabazauls." 

"Destroyed... I lose another three hundred." Kyle chewed his cheek as he watched his Life Points ascend and descend, as with the average roller coaster. _Down to 1100. Come on, deck, give me something I can use..._

His next draw gave him a sense of satisfaction. _All right, then._ "I get another two hundred point boost from Marie, and then I play Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) in attack mode, and place two magic/trap cards face-down. Back to you." 

"This is getting too easy," Brian commented, drawing as he spoke. "Makes me wonder what you've got face-down. But for the moment, King attacks Neo." 

"Well, now you get to see what's face-down. Activate Reinforcements, to increase Neo's attack power to 2200 for the duration of this turn. I think that's enough to take your King out." 

Brian harrumphed as he sent his King and Fairy Meteor Crush cards to the graveyard and subtracted 200 LP. "Fine. That ends my turn." 

"Hm." Kyle drew his next card. "Marie's effect activates yet again; I gain another two hundred LP. And now I play Launcher Spider (2200/2500) in attack mode, and use it to attack your Rude Kaiser." 

Brian grumbled. "Destroyed, I lose four hundred LP." 

"That'll do nicely. End turn." 

"Hmph." Brian drew his next card, and a glint appeared in his eye. "First, I switch Uraby to defense mode. Then I play Judge Man (2200/1500) in attack mode, and equip him with the Axe of Despair magic card, which increases his attack power by one thousand." 

"Oh, goody," Kyle muttered. "What next?" 

"I'll tell you what's next. Judge Man will attack Neo. With your LP at 1300 and the attack's total damage of 1500, this duel's clinched for me." 

"Close, but no cigar, my friend. Say hello to my other face-down card." Kyle flipped the mentioned card face-up. "Activate Reverse Trap, thus reversing the effects of your Axe. Now Judge Man has 1200 attack points instead of 3200... making him an easy target for Neo's counter-attack." 

Brian virtually growled – he was losing his composure rapidly. "Destroyed, I lose another five hundred LP. Hope you're happy." 

"I'm getting there." 

"Blah. Your turn." 

"Good." Kyle drew his next card. "And I think I'll put it to good use. First, I gain yet another 200 LP because of Marie's effect. Then I play Mad Sword Beast (1400/1200) in attack mode." He grinned. "It doesn't even need a Fairy Meteor Crush; that's already built in as its special effect. But what it _does_ need is a power boost, and so I play the magic card Rush Recklessly to increase its attack power to 2100. Finally, Mad Sword Beast attacks Uraby." 

Brian's shoulders slumped. "That does me in." 

**_...destroyed..._**

"Indeed, it does," Kyle agreed. "But it was a good game." 

"True." Brian reshuffled his deck. "And there's always next week." 

The two duelists rose from the table and patiently waited for the others to finish up their games. Kyle sauntered back to Zack's counter. "Won another one." 

"How was it?" 

"Tougher. But I'm still in the competition, so that's got to count for something." 

"Yep. On up to the semi-finals, for you. That's pretty good for a beginner." 

"I'm not as much of a beginner as everyone wants to make me out to be, you know. I've heard of people who've blown games because they didn't know the effects of their own cards." 

Zack snorted. "Now, _those_ people are beginners. Who told you about them? Chubs?" 

"Yeah." 

"He's played against a couple of people like that in here. I've seen it happen. That's how he got the stories to tell in the first place." 

"Hnh. I'd expect no less." Kyle idly scraped at the floor with his shoe. "So when's the challenge coming?" 

Zack chuckled. "Don't get too cocky, Kyle. There are duelists out there who can and will beat you. Chubs and Monica are prime examples, but there are plenty others. So play your best, stay confident in yourself, but also be a little humble, too. Not so much that you get all bogged down and unable to do anything... then you'll be sent to a psych ward for being a manic-depressive." 

"I'm sure," Kyle snorted. 

Minutes passed before the other semi-finalists were ready to begin. But the time came, nonetheless, and when it did, Kyle's pulse roared with anticipation. 

And in its own way, so did the other voice in his mind. 

**_...danger..._**

------- 

_Might you be so kind as to review? I'd really appreciate it. I like to know how I'm doing. Next up, the second half of Kyle's tournament... and the voice in his head gets to be quite the irritant. Stay tuned! You don't wanna miss it!_


	16. Strategies and Luck

_A/N: So this chapter is a little late, sorry. Been a bit busy recently. Even with the snow days! And as of the 28th, this has now become my most reviewed story. Yay! Thanks to all who've reviewed so far! Since I'm a bit late, I've got a longer chapter. Hope you enjoy._

_Ankhutenshi: It is indeed tough, but I like to think I'm managing pretty well for what I've got available, in terms of cards that are interesting and yet not overpowering. Depends on the way you see it._

_Skraku: Evilicious? Interesting term. I'll have to remember that one. Makes the one who uses it sound like a masochist._

_Monica: There's no Wolf card IRL as of yet. Perhaps that'll change with time. Though considering what kinds of monsters are in booster packs right now, I doubt it._

_T: I'll eventually have to. Monica DOES have a Blue-Eyes, after all. Look forward to it._

_Wolf: Thanks. Nice to know you're keeping your eye on the duels. They've got character development of a different sort, but they've still got character development. We see the duelists' true colors._

__------- 

Kyle blinked. _Danger? Now what the heck are you talking about? What danger?_

_**...danger...**_

_I'm going insane. That must be it. I'll bet I've been off my rock ever since going to Egypt. Why did I even agree to go along? Oh, wait, I didn't... I was dragged into it. Like they drag me into everything. That should stop._

**_...stop..._**

_Can't stop now, though. I've got to play through this tournament and win. Nice to have goals, isn't it?_

Zack regarded Kyle. "You've got that distant look. Sure you'll be able to focus for the next round? I'd be worried." 

Kyle shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing. Just thinking about some things, is all." 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah." 

Zack shifted around. "You know, ever since you first came in here, I've been thinking about Jason. After... what happened, and my moving away, I started thinking that it had all been something like a dream. I had a grasp on what death was, but hadn't expected it to hit so closely." 

Kyle raised an eyebrow at Zack. "And now?" 

"Well, when I heard you'd become such a... well, sorry, but such a horrific shadow of who you used to be..." 

Kyle scoffed. Zack held a hand up. "Now come on, I think you know what I'm talking about. You weren't that little boy that liked to play with the others anymore. You were this... this thing that no one wanted anything to do with. All the others had learned to stay away from you. What happened, anyway?" 

Kyle shook his head. "My parents, I guess. Every day, they push me more and more toward the medical profession. And every day, I try to pull farther away from it because that isn't what I feel like I should be doing. So we got into these huge fights all the time. I got into the rebel bit. I got myself into trouble just so that they'd have something to be mad at me for. Something to disappoint them. Maybe lower their expectations." 

He snapped his fingers. "I'll bet that's what it was. Trying to lower their expectations of me. So that I wouldn't have to go into medicine like they wanted me to." 

"What is it you want to go into, then?" 

"Well, I like to write. I write poems sometimes, and short stories." He chuckled. "Kinda creepy, but I enjoyed writing them anyway. And who knows? I'm sure there are other people out there who'd love to read them." 

"No doubt. Some people will read anything," Zack noted. "Just as long as it's good material." 

"True." 

At that point, three other duelists approached the counter and looked at Zack expectantly. He eyed them. "Semi-finalists, I take it?" 

They nodded, apparently waiting for him to set up a bracket for them. He chuckled, pulled out the bracket sheet, and began scribbling on it. "All right. Lauren... you'll play against Bill, and Perry, you're up against Kyle. Come to the counter when you're finished, we'll set up a table for me to emcee." 

Kyle glanced at Perry, a confident-looking boy of perhaps 15 years with a shock of white hair. He gestured at a random dueling table, and they both sat down at it and shuffled their decks. 

"You go ahead and go first," Perry said, his voice riddled with enthusiasm. 

"Sure." Kyle grinned and drew six cards. _This guy might not be so bad to duel against._ "I play Shining Abyss (1600/1800) in attack mode, and that'll do for now." 

"All right, then." Perry drew his sixth card and made his move. "I play Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode, and attack your Shining Abyss." 

Kyle obediently sent Shining Abyss to the graveyard and lowered his LP to 1800. _Nice start to the game. Let's see how this goes._

**_...contest..._**

_Oh, be quiet, you._

"That's all for me," said Perry. 

Kyle drew his next card. _Paydirt._ "I play Muka Muka (600/300) in attack mode. With his special effect, he gains 300 attack and defense points for every card in my hand. I've got five, so his attack power becomes 2100. And with that, Muka Muka attacks Gearfried." 

Perry raised an eyebrow as he placed his Gearfried in the graveyard and reduced his LP to 1700. "Destroyed. Interesting." 

"Glad you approve. Your turn." 

Perry drew, and promptly placed the card he'd just drawn on his monster field. "Jirai Gumo (2200/100) in attack mode." Then he grabbed the coin that had been conveniently placed on the table for such occasions as would need coin-flipping. "Its effect forces me to flip a coin each time I attack. If I announce the correct side it lands on, the attack goes through; if I misjudge, the attack still goes but my LP is cut in half." 

"Fair enough. So I should probably say goodbye to Muka Muka either way, right?" 

"Pretty much. I call tails." Perry flipped the coin; it bounced twice across the table before coming to rest – heads up. 

Kyle chuckled as his LP descended to 1700, while Perry's went to 850. "You lost more Life Points than I did in that attack." 

"True, but Jirai Gumo's effect doesn't subtract Life Points, it divides them. So I'm safe, for the moment. Your turn." 

"You may be safe in your attacks, but if your monster leaves the field, your Life Points are wide open." Kyle drew his next card and grinned. "Like so. I play Marie the Fallen One (1700/1200) in attack mode, and then play the magic card Rush Recklessly to increase her attack power to 2400 for this turn. Marie attacks Jirai Gumo." 

"Destroyed." Perry's LP descended to 650. 

"That ends my turn." 

Perry drew his next card, and a grin spread across his face. "Take a look at the most powerful monster in my deck. I play Sword Hunter (2450/1700) in attack mode, and use it to attack your Marie." 

"Destroyed." 

Perry smirked. "But that's not all. She doesn't go to your graveyard." 

Kyle blinked. "What?" 

Perry tapped the Sword Hunter card. "My monster's special ability kicks in. When it destroys an opposing monster, that monster turns into a magic equip card on my field, equipped to Sword Hunter, and Sword Hunter's attack power increases by 200 for every monster equipped this way. Hand over Marie, she's going to my magic/trap field." 

Kyle frowned, but gave his Marie card to Perry as his Life Points descended to 950. "Great," he muttered. _Now I can't get Marie's graveyard effect. This is really not boding well for me; I don't have any monsters with a defense power that high._

"My turn's done," Perry cheerfully announced. 

"Good to know," Kyle grumbled as he drew. _This card won't do me any good at all if Sword Hunter prevents monsters from going to the graveyard. But since I don't have anything else to defend myself with..._ "I play Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in defense mode and end my turn." 

Perry drew his next card without comment. "I play Swamp Battleguard (1800/1500) in attack mode. But I don't think I'll have him attack your Witch; nope, Sword Hunter will take care of that." 

Kyle sighed and passed his Witch card to Perry, which ended up next to Marie on Perry's magic/trap field. 

"Sword Hunter's attack power is now 2850. Hope you're having fun. My turn's finished." 

"Oh, I'm having _great_ fun," Kyle scoffed, drawing. _Well, this might do some good..._ "I play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, and use it to destroy Marie the Fallen One – which, since it's now a magic equip card, is a perfectly legal move." 

"Hmph." 

Perry handed the Marie card back to Kyle, who gratefully put it in his graveyard. _Now I'll reap the benefits of her effect._ "Next, I place one monster face-down and end my turn." 

"Face-down? Hidden effect. Gotta be," Perry pronounced. "But I'm sure it'll make a fine addition to Sword Hunter's arsenal." He drew his next card. "I play Lava Battleguard (1550/1800) in attack mode, and his special effect activates, along with Swamp Battleguard's. Since they're both on the field at the same time, each one gets a 500 point boost to their attack strength. I'm building up quite the army, wouldn't you say?" 

"You haven't impressed me yet," Kyle responded. 

"That's a shame. Sword Hunter attacks your face-down monster." 

Kyle flipped it over and smiled grimly. "Magician of Faith (300/400) is destroyed. Her special effect still takes place since hers is a flip effect and not a graveyard effect." 

"That may be true, but Sword Hunter still gets her as an equip card. So hand her over." 

Kyle passed his Magician to Perry, then grabbed his Mystical Space Typhoon from his graveyard as per his monster's effect. Perry grinned. "Sword Hunter's attack power again increases to 2850. My turn's done." 

"Fine. Now I gain 200 Life Points as per Marie's effect." Kyle drew his next card and felt slightly gratified to see his Life Points increase to 1150 in the face of Perry's Sword Hunter. _I can at least try to defend myself until my LP gets high enough to withstand a more serious attack._ "I play the field magic card Chorus of Sanctuary, to increase the defense power of all monsters in defense mode by 500 points. And then I play Launcher Spider (2200/2500) in defense mode, and increase his defense to 3000 by Chorus's effect. That ends my turn." 

"Clever," Perry said as he drew, "but rather pointless, I'm afraid. I play the magic card Spiritualism, which allows me to return one magic/trap card to your hand without fear of being counteracted. In this case, I choose Chorus of Sanctuary." 

Kyle grumbled, but put his Chorus card back in his hand. _Now Launcher Spider's defense power is only 2500, and Sword Hunter's at 2850 attack..._

__"Sword Hunter attacks Launcher Spider," Perry announced, "and the effect kicks in yet again." 

"Destroyed." Kyle sighed as his Launcher Spider went to Perry's m/t field and increased Sword Hunter's attack power to 3050. _More powerful than a Blue-Eyes White Dragon now... who says there aren't epic battles around here?_

"My turn's finished. I'd say this game is close to the same, wouldn't you?" 

"Possibly." Kyle drew his next card. _Hey, now this might do some good. I just need to get the right monster first... and I know just how I'm going to do it._ "First, I gain another 200 LP from Marie's effect. Then I play Mystical Space Typhoon, this time to destroy Witch of the Black Forest." 

"You can only make that play so many times," Perry admonished, nevertheless giving Witch back to Kyle. 

Kyle placed his Witch in the graveyard and began to look through his deck. "That's not the idea. The idea was to get her effect, which I'm sure you're well aware of." 

"Monsters with a defense power of 1500 or less generally don't have a high attack power, and certainly there aren't all that many that can best my Sword Hunter right now. Surely you don't have one, anyway." 

"Once again, you're missing the point," said Kyle. He made his choice, plucked it from his deck, and then placed that choice card on the field. "I play Red-Moon Baby (700/1000) in attack mode." 

Perry frowned at the card. "What use is that ugly little monster to you?" 

"Great use, when I combine it with this magic card – Secret Pass to the Treasures, which allows any of my monsters I target with it to attack your LP directly, provided that monster has an attack power of 1000 or less." Kyle grinned. "I don't have to destroy your monsters to win. Only your Life Points. So, Red-Moon Baby attacks your Life Points directly." 

Perry looked at his calculator display and groaned. "My Life Points are wiped out." 

"So they are. But it was a good match." Kyle nodded in appreciation of Perry's tactics. "I'm sure you'll go far with a strategy like that one." 

"Thanks." Perry handed Kyle's monster cards back to him. "You didn't do too badly, either. I think I'll stick around to watch this last duel." 

"That'd be cool." Kyle grinned and reshuffled his deck once before getting up and approaching the counter again. 

Lauren was already there, talking with Zack and waiting for her last opponent of the tournament. She was a dark-haired girl with a smattering of freckles across her nose, and she had a polite – if aloof – disposition. 

Zack glanced between the two finalists and clapped his hands together once. "Well! Let's get the last duel underway. This should prove interesting." He gestures at a table in the middle of the store. "If you two'll sit down over there, we'll get this show on the road. I'll be refereeing. Play fair, children." 

Kyle chuckled at the condescending term, but Lauren was simply content to stare coolly at her opponent. They sat down on opposing sides, and Zack placed himself at the side on Kyle's right. He set up the duelist calculators, then looked up at the players and said, "Since Lauren won her game sooner than Kyle won his, she'll be going first." 

Lauren agreeably drew her first six cards and then quietly announced her move. "First, I play the magic card Dark Designator. This allows me to call the name of any monster card; if that card is in your deck, you add one of that card to your hand." 

"So what monster will it be?" Kyle asked. 

"I've seen your previous duels, so I know you have Launcher Spider. And that is the card name I will announce." 

"Fair enough," Kyle said, feeling slightly confused as he rummaged through his deck. _Why would she make me pull Launcher Spider out of my deck and into my hand? Does she want me to play my strongest monster on my first turn?_

_**...danger...**_

_Oh, what are you babbling on about now? Are you paying attention to the game, or something? What danger?_

_**...danger...**_

"Next, I will play the magic card Exchange. This forces each duelist to choose one card from the other's hand and add it to their own." 

_Damn! You were right! She's going to take my strongest monster and use it against me!_ Kyle grit his teeth as he showed his hand to her – he held Robotic Knight, Harpie's Brother, Launcher Spider, Trap Hole, Earthshaker, and Chorus of Sanctuary. 

Her own hand was comprised of Island Turtle, Curse of the Masked Beast, Major Riot, and Banner of Courage. With the exception of Island Turtle, he'd not heard of them, so he took several moments to inspect the cards before deciding on what he wanted. "I'll take Banner of Courage." 

"And I, Launcher Spider," Lauren answered. The two obediently traded the announced cards to each other, and then Lauren announced, "I play Launcher Spider (2200/2500) in attack mode, and it is only by the rules that I do not attack you this turn. End turn." 

"Lucky me," Kyle muttered. He drew his next card. _This won't do me much good, but maybe I can pull something off..._ "I play Robotic Knight (1600/1800) in defense mode. In addition, I place two magic/trap cards face-down, and then play the field card Chorus of Sanctuary to increase Robotic Knight's defense to 2300. To end my turn, I play Banner of Courage... which I'll save for later use." 

"Undoubtedly," she responded. She drew her next card. "I play the magic card Heavy Storm, to rid the field of all magic/trap cards." 

Kyle grunted as he discarded his own magic/traps and returned the one he'd taken from her to its owner. 

"Launcher Spider attacks Robotic Knight." 

"Destroyed." 

"End turn." 

Kyle sighed as he drew his next card. "I place one monster face-down and one magic/trap face-down. That ends my turn." 

Lauren drew, but ignored the card she'd drawn and turned her attention back to the field. "Launcher Spider attacks your face-down monster." 

Kyle flipped over his face-down m/t. "Activate Waboku. My Harpie's Brother (1800/600) is still revealed, but it'll be adequate defense for now." 

"So say you. End turn." 

"Hm." Kyle drew his next card. _Yuck. This'll only give her an edge. Not like I've got a choice._ "I play Upstart Goblin, to allow myself another card to draw. It also increases your LP by a thousand, so be thankful I played that." 

She raised an eyebrow. "I'll endeavor to make my thanks evident." 

Kyle drew the next card off the top of his deck and inspected it. _Well, that might do some good. We'll see._ "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn." 

"Good," she answered, drawing her next card. "I play the ritual magic card Curse of the Masked Beast." 

"Which does?" 

"It's a ritual card," she informed him in a condescending tone. "It allows for the special summon of a specific high-level monster from my hand, provided I tribute monsters whose level stars equal or exceed that of the monster I am summoning." 

"From the field?" 

"The field or the hand; the ritual magic card does not care which. It can even be both... for example... I shall tribute Launcher Spider from the field, and Island Turtle from my hand. Launcher Spider is level 7, while Island Turtle is level 4. Curse of the Masked Beast calls for at least 8 level stars, and since I have provided more than enough, I can now special summon The Masked Beast (3200/1800) to the field in attack mode." 

_Great. Yet another monster stronger than Blue-Eyes. They always have to give me the tough ones._ Kyle rolled his eyes. "Anything else?" 

"Indeed, there is. The Masked Beast shall attack Harpie's Brother." 

"Destroyed, but Brother isn't going alone." Kyle flipped over the face-down m/t he'd played last turn. "Misery loves company. Activate Michizure, to destroy the monster that destroyed mine." 

Lauren made no comment as she sent her Masked Beast to the graveyard. "My turn shall end, in that case." 

"Good." Kyle drew his next card. _Her field is clear of monsters, so now is the perfect time to attack. But first, I need a couple more cards._ "I play Pot of Greed, to draw two extra cards." He plucked the next two cards off the top of his deck and smirked. "Then I play Marie the Fallen One (1700/1200) in attack mode, and attack your Life Points directly." He felt a measure of satisfaction as Zack reduced Lauren's Life Points to 1300. "That ends my turn." 

"Very well." Lauren drew, and placed the drawn card on the field. "I play Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300/2100) in attack mode and attack your Marie the Fallen One." 

"Destroyed." Kyle didn't feel particularly threatened, even as his LP descended to 1400. _Long as I keep defending myself, I'll get those lost Life Points back._

"End turn." 

Kyle drew – as he did so, his LP ascended to 1600, per Marie's effect. "I play Shining Abyss (1600/1800) in defense mode and end my turn." 

Lauren drew and promptly announced, "Gaia attacks your Shining Abyss." 

"Destroyed." 

"End turn." 

Kyle drew – _up to 1800, now._ "I play People Running About (600/600) in defense mode and end my turn." 

She made no comment as she drew once more. "Gaia attacks your People." 

"Destroyed." 

"End turn." 

Kyle began to wonder just how repetitious she was feeling this to be, but nevertheless drew his next card. _Great, now I'm up to 2000 again._ "I play Oppressed People (400/2000) in defense mode, and also place one magic/trap face-down. That ends my turn." 

"This grows tiresome," Lauren sighed, drawing as she spoke. 

**_...tired..._**

"I play Monster Reborn to revive my Masked Beast, and Gaia shall attack your Oppressed People." 

"And another one bites the dust," Kyle remarked. 

"End turn." 

Kyle drew – his LP increasing to 2200 – and he chuckled. "All right, if you're so tired of this, let's finish it up. First, I flip the magic card Offerings to the Doomed to destroy your Gaia." 

"Very well. You shall not draw on your next draw phase," she pointed out as she discarded Gaia. 

"I won't need another draw phase. I play the magic card Change of Heart on your Masked Beast." Kyle smirked grimly. "Just like you used my own monster against me, I'll use your own monster against you." 

Lauren didn't reply. 

"Masked Beast attacks your Life Points." 

"And thus ends the game," Zack announced. 

A smattering of light applause echoed throughout the store. Kyle and Lauren stood up and shook hands firmly. 

"Good duel," Kyle said, meaning it. 

"And to you," she responded softly. 

Zack went to the counter to retrieve something, and brought it back to the table. "As promised, Kyle, in addition to becoming a Level Two duelist, you receive an official badge which declares you to be as such, and you also receive a special card for winning, on me." 

In one hand, Zack held the badge. In the other was the card. 

Kyle took both and looked at the badge first. The name space was blank, as was the picture space, but the silver badge – comprised of a thin metal and proportioned like a credit card – was embossed with the words "Level Two Duelist" across the bottom. 

He turned to the card... 

And gaped. 

Zack chuckled. "You've heard of this card before?" 

Kyle tried to make an effort to speak, but found himself unable to for several seconds. 

The picture on the card was unmistakable. It showed a head, two arms, two hands, and a torso, all built out of tan brick. The blocky head was adorned with a single, massive eye, under which there was a pair of symbols. 

Chubs sauntered up to Kyle's side and inspected the card. "Millennium Golem, huh? Cool name. Awesome picture, if a bit weird. Pegasus was always one for strange monsters." 

**_...Millennium... golem... Millennium..._**

_That monster... is a Duel Monsters card...?_

_Someone knows. Whoever made this card knows what that creature is._

_What's happening?_

------- 

_Now, that's a question we could all ponder for a while, isn't it? Next up, Kyle, Chubs, and Zack visit the next tier, and Kyle reaches a point of no return – literally. Stay tuned!_


	17. Whispers of Shadow

_A/N: Okey-dokey, so we've got a new chapter, fresh off the press. Hope you enjoy it, 'cause it's hard to find ingenuity in the game of Duel Monsters when there are only so many strategies!_

_Skraku: This chapter lets you know, since you asked._

_Lumen: I might point out that if I were to write a trilogy or a series, a contract with a publisher would last longer and I would make more money that way. So I'll keep that avenue open for consideration._

_Wolf: So what else is new? But thanks for reading anyway. I know watching it go against official TCG rules is kind of tough, but bear with... Battle City approacheth!_

------- 

Kyle hadn't been able to sleep well for many days now. The point of origin seemed to be the day he'd won the tournament at the local card shop. 

The day he'd received the Millennium Golem card from Zack. 

He had memorized its every feature. Every line, every curve, every color... if someone was to ask him to reproduce the image exactly, he could do it. 

It scared him to be that obsessed with one card. But on the other hand, the card itself was something he found no less frightening, after the incident in Egypt. He found himself wondering if this was how Seto Kaiba, over in Japan, had become so obsessed with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards... some sort of experience with them, or images like them, that led him to collect three of them for his deck. 

_Millennium Golem. (2000/2200) Earth attribute, Warrior-type._

In his morbid curiosity, he'd done research concerning the strange eye symbol that adorned the face of the Golem, as well as the pendant about his neck. It was known as the Eye of Horus, and it apparently had royal significance in ancient Egypt. 

His dreams were disturbed with images of the sandy dunes of that place, but the dreams were not taking place in the setting of present day – rather, they were of the distant past, and they revealed to him great a great shoreline, along which reeds and fertile grass and the occasional fern grew. Egyptians clad in robes and loincloths of simple white made their way through the bustling streets of the capital city, and towering above them was the palace where the pharaoh and his royal family resided and ruled over these people. 

Every night, he was tormented with the same images. It all seemed to move so rapidly that he could barely take it in at once, as if time was somehow being accelerated. One moment, there was the living city, full of the people's own comings and goings, uncaring about the differences between them and instead working to achieve their own goals. 

Then the skies would darken... first to a dark blue, then to black. Holes would open in the sky, and from these holes would appear hordes of terrifying creatures. Some were shaped like men, but they were clearly not of this world. 

There was the Egyptian standing army, positioned just beyond the gates of the palace. A man stood before them, a man wrapped in shadow. Another man, also hidden in the darkness, approached the first and spoke in a tongue Kyle couldn't interpret. Whatever he spoke, it moved the army to cheer enthusiastically. 

They flooded the streets, then, and the Egyptians who huddled scared in their homes were encouraged by the sight of their brethren there to protect them... gratified that their king still cared for them, even in times as dark as these. 

For not even an instant, there was the image of another figure, standing just beyond the great pillars of the palace. This one was distinctive, but every time Kyle tried to remember what the distinction above the others was, the image would elude him, and leave him to grasp at the cobwebs of his memory. 

And every moment he remained in this dream, a foreboding voice spoke a single word that resounded throughout the atmosphere... the word rebounded off the walls of the dwellings, be they houses or hovels... it echoed through the streets and moved between the soldiers attempting to ward off the nightmarish creatures. 

**_...danger..._**

His mother had once awakened him from his sleep, asking if he was okay. She'd heard him groaning. 

He'd been embarrassed and mumbled his reassurances to her, but in all actuality, he was anything but fine. 

_What's happening to me? And moreover, WHY is it happening to me?_

Whoever – or whatever – the voice was, it did not disturb him while he studied for school, and it did not offer any warnings to him when he was out at the card shop, buying new Duel Monsters paraphernalia... mostly consisting of cards and strategy guides. As soon as he had discovered these correlations, he set to spending nearly all of his time doing one of these two things. 

His homework and test grades had already been high, though his participation grades had been understandably lacking up to this point. He began to change that by getting himself actively involved in class studies, offering his opinion and his suggestions – much to the delight of some teachers who'd been sure all along he had a good person in him, and to the consternation of others who thought he was trying to pull off some major hoax – and generally contributing just as much to the class as any 4.0 student. 

Kyle's parents began to receive glowing reports from the teachers, much to their surprise and delight. Thus his father, for the time being, relented on the speeches about the medical profession, his required hours with Dr. Dawson were cut in half, and he was given a little more leeway in how he used his time – not that they'd ever been able to place a proper restriction on that, anyway – so he was usually found sitting at the card shop or Chubs' house. 

The card shop was making plenty of money from Kyle's pockets. So was Zack's business... not that it wasn't booming already, but Kyle was beginning to figure out for himself what combination of restricted cards he would need in his deck to make it more powerful than before. Ready to take on the second tier. 

Chubs' mother seemed to be enjoying Kyle's company more and more each time he visited. Chubs heard nothing but praise from her about his new friend, and admissions about how she'd been wrong about Kyle, and how he seemed to be one of the best choices Chubs could have made. This, in turn, only made Chubs more proud of himself for sitting down at the table no one else would dare seat themselves. 

Monica had not even bothered to set her eyes, much less her words, on Kyle since she'd revealed she was in possession of a Blue-Eyes card. As far as he knew, she was still attaining consistently high marks in school, and she was still taking the yellow roses he randomly left in her locker to find. Several of their classmates had seen him doing this by now, but they simply chuckled to themselves and made it fodder for gossip later on. A slightly amusing report of Monica carrying out a bunch of the flowers to her car reached Kyle's ears; apparently she was seen by one of the teachers, who did nothing beyond raise her eyebrow at the girl, but Monica had still blushed hotly and scurried to her car double-time. 

Then came the first weekend of March, and Kyle knew he was ready for the next level of dueling. 

-- 

Kyle strolled into Zack's card shop after school that Wednesday afternoon, as had become his routine for every weekday, now. He was a bit later than usual, and he had a slight grin on his face. Zack scoffed at the look. "And just what are _you_ so happy about today?" 

"Couple things. First off, it looks like I'll finally be getting my own wheels." 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah. Motorcycle. Not an expensive thing, by any means, but it'll get me from place to place. And since the weather's just starting to warm up, it's a great time to get one." 

"Well, you _did_ say you got a motorcycle license on Monday. Not too much of a stretch to assume you plan to use it." 

Kyle cast a sour look in Zack's direction. "Har har. I'm getting one. So there." 

"Cool. What's the other news?" 

"Signed up for the second tier this Saturday." 

Zack leaned forward on his stool and laced his fingers on the countertop. "You sure you're ready for that level?" 

"Course I'm sure. I made it through first level, and my deck's a lot stronger now, thanks to both you and Chubs." 

"I suppose you already knew that Chubs and I are planning to participate in that same tournament." 

Kyle blinked in surprise. "Chubs told me he was going to. Didn't realize you were going for it, as well. What, are you going to close the shop that day, then?" 

"Hardly. Boss'll be in. I can't have _every_ Saturday as a work day, after all." Zack smirked. 

"So I'm going to get to see you duel, then, hm?" 

"Don't count on it. You'll be a bit busy with your own games." Zack harrumphed in amusement. "As will the rest of us. But if I were you, I'd keep my eyes peeled. Take a look at everyone at that tourney, make sure you know their faces. I honestly think chances are you'll be meeting them again." 

**_...meeting... again..._**

"Sure," Kyle scoffed. "On the third tier, maybe, assuming I skip a couple weeks." 

"Don't get overconfident, Kyle," Zack addressed his junior, his tone frank. "Confidence is good, make no mistake. It's healthy that you have some, but don't let that one tourney win go to your head. Better duelists than you have lost the second tier. You've got the money to buy the cards you want and the brains to formulate strategy, and so far you've also had the luck to combine the two into some formidable saves. What you need to do every once in a while, though, is take the offensive, and hang on to it. Don't try to save yourself; make your _opponent_ try to save _him_self." 

**_...save... save..._**

"If you say so," Kyle shrugged. "If I lose, it's no skin off my nose. I can always try it again." 

"That you can." The cashier grinned. "Now... what can I do for you today?" 

"Get me more cards," Kyle answered simply. 

"Building up quite a collection, there." 

"My deck's going to be only the best, my friend. That way I can duel the best and get away with a win." 

Zack raised an eyebrow. "What about your parents? They know you're spending this kind of money?" 

"Course not. I conduct my own transactions." Kyle smirked. "But I don't think I'd care even if they _did_ find out. It's a much healthier hobby than smoking, I'll tell you that." 

"I wouldn't know anything about that." 

"Good. Now... cards?" 

Zack chuckled and turned to the shelves where the store kept their various stocks of cards. "You're officially obsessed. Packs or individuals?" 

"Individuals. Out of your stockpile." 

"You love giving me money, don't you?" 

"You love getting my money, don't you?" 

Zack scoffed as he pulled out his various card binders. "Can't argue with that. You're becoming a preferred buyer, at this rate." 

"Nice to know. Get an invoice ready, this is going to be a major impulse purchase." 

-- 

Saturday 

-- 

Kyle left his new motorcycle in the garage in favor of one of the family cars, since there had been forecasts of bitingly cold weather. He reminded himself that it was still relatively early in the year, and that spring hadn't officially arrived yet. 

His drive to Chubs' house was a short one, though not necessarily uneventful. He found himself arguing silently with the voice that continued to echo through his mind. 

**_...danger... save..._**

_What the hell are you babbling on about, now? Where did you come from, anyway? Are you just some figment of my imagination? Am I going schizophrenic? What do you want from me, anyway? What danger? Save what? Tell me more than that, if you're going to say anything at all!_

**_...danger... great... danger..._**

_Oh, goody, now it's GREAT danger. What great danger are we talking about here? If you're talking about the tournament, I've got nothing to be afraid of there. It's just a bunch of people getting together and playing a game._

_**...game... Shadow...**_

_What ARE you talking about?! Why won't you just give me a straight answer for once? What shadow?_

_**...Shadow game...**_

Kyle blinked. The voice had said many things to him before, but had never chained two word together at once. And they weren't really words... but they were the closest words he could use to define what the voice was saying. It spoke to him silently, and didn't give him actual words to work with, but it gave him a positive, innate feeling that _game_ and _shadow_ were the words it was trying to say. 

_Shadow game? What's a shadow game?_

_**...great danger...**_

Kyle rolled his eyes. _You... are impossible, you know that?_

At this, the voice also seemed to grow frustrated, and its nonverbal entreaties became more frantic. **_...danger...! Shadow game... great danger...!_**

"What the hell is a shadow game?" he asked aloud. 

"Huh?" 

Kyle was jerked back to reality, and noticed that without processing conscious thought, Chubs had ended up in the passenger seat of the car and was just buckling in his seat belt. 

Kyle frowned, blinked several times, and looked at Chubs. "What? Did I say something?" 

"You asked, 'What the hell is a shadow game?' If you're asking me, I've got no idea what the hell a shadow game is. Unless you're talking about this..." Chubs crossed his hands together in front of his face and pressed his thumbs together. "Look! It's a bat!" 

"Uhh..." Kyle shook his head. "Sorry. I don't know what got into me. I don't even know where that came from." 

"You okay? Your parents bugging you about the medicine bit again?" Chubs asked, his voice turning slightly sympathetic. 

Kyle shook his head once more. "No, it's not that. It's just..." He sighed. "Eh, it's nothing. My imagination's running wild." 

"Good. Then you can think up some killer strategies for the tourney." 

Kyle took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. "Right. Tourney. Let's get going." 

"You sure you're okay?" 

"I'm fine." Kyle kicked the car into reverse, backed out of the drive, and zoomed up the street, eager more than ever to arrive at the tournament. 

-- 

Kyle felt slightly apprehensive, walking into a different card shop filled with duelists he really didn't know. His consolation was that Chubs was there with him, and Zack had apparently already made the trek and was waiting for them near the door. 

"Glad you decided to show up. I was getting worried," he joked. "They're about to post a bracket. You guys paid for your entry?" 

"I did that when I registered," said Kyle. 

"Crap, I didn't," Chubs muttered. He hurried over to the cashier to do just that. 

Kyle crossed his arms and stared into the crowd of faceless duelists. He tapped his foot, though from impatience or anxiety, it was hard to tell. Zack watched the repetitive movement and couldn't help but smile slightly. "You're pretty eager, huh? Still confident?" 

"You know it," Kyle responded automatically. "I'm ready to get this thing on the road." 

"All right, everyone," the cashier announced, just an instant after Chubs had made his exchange. "Gather 'round and take a look at the bracket. Find your name, then find your opponent, take a table, and start playing. Winners approach the counter after their duel and wait for the next round." 

Before Zack could even take a step toward the counter to check the bracket, a girl looking to be about his age stepped in front of him, hands on her hips. Her shoulder-length brown hair was bound into a tight ponytail, her blazing green eyes bore directly into his, and she wore several silver necklaces of varying size that were tinkling lightly against each other. 

"You're Zack," she said definitively. 

"And you are?" he responded. 

"Your opponent this round. Let's get to it." 

"Hm. Well, when you put it _that_ way..." The two stepped away from Kyle and seated themselves at the nearest open table. 

Kyle scoffed. _Nice. Very nice. Hope you can take your own advice, Zack, that woman has the look of a vulture in her eye..._ He made his way to the counter and looked at the bracket. 

_Justin. Who's Justin?_

"Hey, where's Kyle? Is there a Kyle here?" 

Kyle stood up straight and looked around for the voice that had uttered his name, at the same time responding, "That's me, I'm Kyle." 

"Over here." 

Kyle glanced to his left and saw a grown man even more round than Chubs beckoning to him. His hairline was receding slightly, he had a double chin – which obviously hadn't been shaved this morning – and there was a patch of sweat on his shirt... though from what activity, Kyle wasn't sure he even wanted to guess. "I'm Justin. Let's have a seat, shall we?" 

"Sure." 

They approached a random table and sat themselves down at it. They shuffled their decks, nearly turning that into a competition in itself, one trying to shuffle more quickly than the other. Kyle kept his eye on his huge opponent. "Who goes first?" 

"Allow me," Justin answered. 

"Fine." 

Justin drew six cards, perused his hand for a few moments, then announced, "I place four magic/trap cards face-down and end my turn." 

Kyle's eyes nearly bugged out. _Four m/t's? Jeez... I really have to be careful here..._

He'd already drawn his first five cards. His sixth one gave him a slight charge of satisfaction. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy that magic/trap card." He indicated the one farthest to Justin's left. 

Justin shrugged. "Fair enough." 

And he discarded his face-down Fake Trap. 

_Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me... that trap wouldn't have even done anything anyway! It was MEANT to be destroyed in place of another trap card!_ He sighed and looked over his hand a little more before announcing, "I play People Running About (600/600) in defense mode and one magic/trap face-down, and end my turn." 

"As I said, fair enough." Justin drew his next card. "That will do nicely. I place two more magic/trap cards face-down and end my turn." 

Kyle frowned. _Now his magic/trap field, except for his field card space, is full. Not a single monster yet, and he's only got one card left in his hand. Wonder what he's up to. But he's not trying to take my bait for People. So I'll just have to try to take the fight to him._

He drew, then declared, "I play United Resistance (1000/600) in attack mode, and one more magic/trap card face-down. Then I switch People Running About to attack mode, and have United Resistance attack your Life Points." 

"Fine, I lose a thousand. I can still do a lot with a thousand Life Points, kid." Justin winked conspiratorially at Kyle. "That all for you?" 

Kyle fought the impulse to glare. "Yeah, your turn." 

"Great." Justin drew his next card. "Well, then. I guess I'll just have to end my turn without playing a card." 

_You're kidding. You're just going to let yourself get hammered away by a pair of weak monsters?_

_**...danger...**_

_Oh, be quiet!_ Kyle drew his next card and smirked. "Looks like the end of this duel for you. United Resistance attacks your Life Points." 

"Activate trap card, Waboku," Justin informed his opponent. "I'm not so easily taken down that I'll let through another attack like that." 

"I'm sure," Kyle scoffed. "My turn's done." 

"Good." Justin drew, then scanned the field and declared, "I play Nightmare Steelcage. This magic card prevents us both from attacking for two turns." 

"Fine," Kyle scoffed. "You're not attacking anyway, and I can get to your Life Points other ways." 

"I'm eager to see what you have in mind. My turn is finished." 

Kyle drew his next card without comment, then said, "I switch People and Resistance to defense mode, and then play Launcher Spider (2200/2500) in attack mode. Top that." 

"You still can't attack," Justin smirked. 

"That'll be remedied shortly. End turn." 

Justin drew his next card and sighed in a bored manner. "Nope, doesn't look like I'll be playing anything this turn. Your turn." 

Kyle scowled as he drew. _There's a reason they call this game Duel Monsters... but playing this way is just as deadly as playing with the monster cards._ He looked at the card he'd just drawn. 

His breath caught in his throat. It was Millennium Golem. 

_Oy. Get over it, Kyle, and just play the damn card, would you?_

He blew out his breath. "Okay. I play Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode." 

"Activate trap card," Justin announced, and for a moment, Kyle thought Justin was using a Trap Hole. But upon closer inspection of the card the man was turning over, Kyle quickly realized that Trap Hole wasn't nearly as dangerous as this one. 

Not by a long shot. 

"Just Desserts." Justin smirked. "You take five hundred points of direct damage to your Life Points for every monster on your field. I count four, and four times five hundred equals two thousand, if I'm not mistaken. Which means I win this game." 

"Not quite," said Kyle, who turned over one of his own magic/traps. "Activate counter-trap card, Barrel Behind The Door." 

Justin's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" 

"You heard me. Now you take the damage you tried to deal me, since it's not damage dealt by a monster attack." Kyle crossed his arms and offered a smirk of his own. "So, who wins the game?" 

As Justin tried to stammer out a response, Kyle reminded himself to thank Zack for suggesting acquisition of that card. _"Useful when you have an opponent who's trying to be tricky or playing burn cards. Never know what he's going to try."_

Kyle breathed out a sigh of relief. _There you go, Zack. I maintained the offensive. Hope you're proud of me for it._

He gathered his cards together and approached the counter, ready for the next phase of the tournament. 

------- 

_We've not yet reached the point of no return. But I guarantee that it will arrive next chapter, no matter how long I have to make it to bring us there. And what will happen? Find out next time! Stay tuned!_


	18. Curtains Fall

_A/N: Yet another chapter, just for you! And on time, as well, if a bit late in the evening. Remember the point of no return everyone's been looking forward to (dreading)? It's here! Take a look._

_Wolf: What I meant was that there are only so many strategies that are practical and that appear in a duelist magazine. People can think up all sorts, it's just the ones in the mags, as you well know, aren't all that helpful at times._

_Skraku: Well, hold on to your hat, both where the tattoos are concerned and where dueling is concerned. You'll be seeing more of both, methinks._

------- 

Kyle's next opponent was another adult, a woman this time, looking to be of about 25 years of age, by the name of Jessica. She smiled politely at him, though he could see in her eyes a look of curiosity _likely because of my appearance_, he thought, suddenly putting his mind to the clothes he'd chosen to wear to the occasion. Black everything, as usual, and a black leather coat to guard against the post-winter breezes. 

_Zack wasn't kidding when he said I probably wouldn't get to see him play_, he thought. _They move through these things as rapidly as possible, don't they?_

__He looked around for any sign of Zack or Chubs, but as far as he could tell, the two were still seated at duelist tables. He sighed. _Hope they're doing well. Now I'm dueling adults, and I've got just about every right to be nervous at this point. I should take Zack's advice and keep a healthy dose of humility at hand._

__"Why don't you go first?" his opponent asked, as she shuffled her deck. 

"Fine by me," he shrugged, and he drew his first six cards. He considered his available maneuvers. "I place two magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster face-down. Your turn." 

"Hmm. Interesting opening move," she commented, as she drew her first card. "I play Black Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800) in attack mode and attack your face-down monster." 

Kyle tried to keep his eyes from narrowing as he sent his Oppressed People (400/2000) to the graveyard. _Already she's got me at a disadvantage. But it's just as well I played it face-down now I know what risks she'll take._

__"My turn's finished," she said. 

"Good." He drew. "I place another monster face-down, and end my turn there." 

"So zealously protective of your Life Points," she admonished. "If you want to win, you really should go on the attack. Otherwise you'll end up getting washed up. I play Servant of Catabolism (700/400) in attack mode. Its special effect allows it to attack your Life Points directly even while you have monsters on the field." 

"So it does," he noted, spying the monster's effect. "Going to put it to use this turn?" 

"I think I will, at that." 

"Too bad, because I activate the trap card Negate Attack, which stops you from attacking me at all this turn." 

She nodded. "I'm aware of its effect, thank you. My turn's finished, in that case." 

He drew his next card and considered it a moment. _Hmm. There are a couple things I could do with this. Best be cautious with it, though._

__"I play Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode," he announced, "and have it attack your Servant." 

"Destroyed," she responded. She sent the Servant to the graveyard and readjusted her Life Points appropriately. "Down to 700. But there's still much I can do with that." 

"There always is. My turn's finished." 

She drew her next card. "I equip Black Dragon Jungle King with the magic card Dragon's Treasure, to increase its attack and defense power by 300 points apiece. And then I'll have it attack your Golem." 

"Activate trap card, Reinforcements," Kyle countered. "Increasing Golem's attack power to 2500 for this turn a hundred more than your monster." 

"Impressive," she congratulated, decreasing her Life Points to 600. "But I have yet to place a monster, and so I will do so face-down. That ends my turn." 

"Fine." Kyle drew his next card. _Golem's doing pretty well for me, but I need a good lineup, just in case she tries to pull a fast one on me..._ "I place one monster face-down, and have Golem attack your face-down monster." 

"My face-down Hane-Hane (450/500) is destroyed," she announced, "and its effect allows me to send one monster card back to its owner's hand... so I think I'll send your Golem away." 

Kyle scoffed, but nevertheless gathered his Golem back into his hand. "Fine by me." 

"Glad to hear it," she said. 

Kyle rolled his eyes. "My turn's done." 

"Also good to hear." She drew swiftly and her move was just as swift. "I place one magic/trap card face-down and one monster face-down, as well. My turn ends there." 

"Goody." Kyle drew. "I re-play Millennium Golem in attack mode, and play the magic card Raigeki to destroy your face-down monster." 

"Not so fast." Jessica flipped over the lone m/t card on her rear field. "Activate trap card Magic Drain." 

Kyle narrowed his eyes. _I remember that card, from watching Monica duel. It makes me discard another magic card from my hand if I want Raigeki to work._ "I don't have any other magic cards in my hand." 

"Then I guess your Raigeki won't work," she said cheerfully. "Too bad for you." 

"Oh, really? You've only got one monster face-down on your field, and it won't be there too long after I'm done with it. Golem attacks your face-down." 

"You were right, it won't be around for long," she said, as she flipped the monster over. "On the other hand, my Penguin Soldier (750/500) has an effect double the potency of Hane-Hane's. So by way of Soldier's effect, I'm sending your Golem and your face-down monster back to your hand. And that leaves your field with one monster, I do believe." 

Kyle grunted as he gathered his monster cards into his hand once more. "It does... for a moment. But I've still got my plays. I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn." 

She drew her next card. "I play Pot of Greed." She gathered two more cards to her hand and reassessed her options for a moment, then announced, "I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your face-down magic/trap." 

He sighed slightly. "Barrel Behind The Door is destroyed." 

She smirked. "Nice try. Next, I play the magic card Tribute to the Doomed – according to which, I discard one card from my hand in order to destroy a monster on the field. In this case, your face-down." 

Kyle again emitted a sigh as he sent his Muka Muka (600/300) to the grave. She likewise sent her Tribute to the Doomed to her graveyard, and a Trap Hole card to accommodate Tribute's cost. 

"And now I play Judge Man (2200/1500) in attack mode. With your field wide open for attack, it appears as though I've won this game. Judge Man attacks your Life Points." 

And Kyle could find no way to disagree with her. He bowed his head and nodded dismally. _Damn. And here I was, hoping to go all the way._

"Good game," she said. Her tone was sincere. "You might still be a beginner, but you're coming along nicely. You should be proud of yourself. Look how far you've gotten already." 

"I might feel better about it if I could keep going in this tournament," he answered. 

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do well, given more time." 

"Thanks." Kyle gathered his cards together and stood up, then made his way to the front window display and stood there, searching for Zack and Chubs. 

Chubs, it seemed, was still dueling. Kyle felt an urge to go over to his stout friend's table and see how he was doing. 

Zack, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. Kyle couldn't spot him at any of the duelist tables, nor could he find him anywhere else in the store. The girl that had approached Zack at the start of the tournament had likewise gone unseen. Kyle wondered if they'd already both lost their places in the tourney and had gone home. He wouldn't have put it past the girl – she'd seemed quite terse – but he'd have thought Zack might have stuck around to see him and/or Chubs continue their duels. 

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, Kyle finally shrugged and sauntered to Chubs' side, eager to watch his friend make a name for himself in this tournament. 

-- 

Two Weeks Later 

-- 

Twice, Kyle had tried to make it through the second tier tournament. Twice, he'd failed. He'd modified and re-modified his deck, and had challenged Chubs to a duel whenever the two of them could possibly spare time for such an activity. Chubs had tirelessly agreed to every single duel, and at Kyle's insistence, had broken out the deck he used for tournaments. 

He couldn't get Zack to agree to duel with him, and he wasn't surprised by this – Zack had told him he wasn't usually one to duel. But what _did_ surprise him was that whenever that particular tournament was mentioned, Zack would immediately try to find something else to talk about. There were times he even developed the slitest twitch in his left eye. 

As if somehow, talking about that day unnerved him. 

Kyle had no idea what would shake the normally unflappable young man. He'd taken all sorts of verbal abuse from Monica with little difficulty, so Kyle culdn't imagine the same had happened that day. 

Zack had refused to go to the last tournament that had taken place, and he seemed rather determined not to show up at the upcoming one, as well. Chubs figured it to be Zack's usual indifferent nature causing him to say no, but Kyle wondered if there wasn't something more to it, somehow. 

He wasn't alone in this kind of wondering. The voice in his head was becoming more insistent every day, it seemed. It still spoke in fragments, never stringing together more than two words, but the intensity of the words was what both intrigued and frustrated Kyle. He'd spent a considerable amount of time silently arguing with the voice, and every time he argued, the voice would become more aggravating... and aggravated, as well. As if it was frustrated by its own apparent inability to communicate more clearly with the person whose mind it was invading. 

The Friday afternoon before the tournament found Kyle sprawled out on his bed, trying to concentrate on a science fiction book while arguing with the voice at the same time. 

_Go away._

**_...Shadow... game... Shadow game... danger... great danger..._**

_I said go away! I don't want to hear about your blasted shadow games! If you only told me what kind of danger you're talking about, I probably wouldn't be so nervous, but nooo... you have to be all cryptic. Don't talk to me until you can speak in proper sentences, you hear me?_

**_...danger...! ...magician... danger... millennium... game... danger!_**

_Go away, damn you._

"You skipped your counseling session." 

Kyle looked up from the book. His eyes landed on his father. 

As usual, the man was wearing a suit and a look of consternation. "That's the third in a row. What was it this time? Off playing that silly card game? I suppose I'll just have to take you there myself." 

"I don't need counseling anymore," Kyle said shortly. He didn't feel like getting into a fight with his father, but he was already irritated with the voice and it wasn't helping to improve his mood that he was being accused of yet another _thing_. He turned back to his book. 

"Don't ignore me!" his father spat. He stomped forward, grabbed the book out of Kyle's hands, and threw it to the floor. "It's about time you started following directions around here! I'm sick of this!" 

And suddenly, all the rage that had welled up inside the boy – now a young man – was set loose. 

"That makes two of us!" Kyle yelled back. He rose to his feet. "I'm sick of all this! I'm sick of _you_! Trying to force me down a path I don't want to walk... what the hell's wrong with you?!" 

"I'm doing what's best for my son and my family!" the man roared. 

"Your concerns for your son are secondary to those of your family! You want me to become a doctor so that when you get old and feeble, I'll have the money to take care of you!" Kyle sneered. "Tell me this, 'Dad', where did _your_ financial security go? You've got money, you don't need me to make any more for your benefit. What makes you think, even for a moment, that I ever wanted to be a doctor?" 

"It has nothing to do with what you want, Kyle! Your desires are silly and childish! You sit all by yourself everywhere you go, you have no friends, you play stupid games from dawn to dusk, and you've no future! Be realistic for once in your life, and admit it! This is the best route for you to take!" 

_You bastard, I'll kill you!_

_**...no... no...**_

_...no... I won't... I need to handle this calmly... just calm down and talk..._

Kyle took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Maybe it is, if I want a lot of money. Maybe it is." 

"Then why do you still resist, if you're willing to concede that point?" 

"Because money isn't my concern. It never has been. Your way for me isn't my way for me. And eventually, I'm going to get out of here and live _my_ life _my_ way. There's nothing you can do to stop that." 

"Your way will lead to self-ruin!" 

"You don't know that. And we'll never find out if you don't let me live." 

"I've fed you and clothed you... you have a roof over your head because of me! You live because I _gave_ you life! Don't you think that deserves something in return?" 

"Yeah, you've fed me and clothed me. Yeah, there's a roof over my head. And if you and Mom had never met, I wouldn't be here. But have you ever given me what I really needed?" 

The anger fled from Kyle's voice. His tone became empty, hollow... perhaps even pleading. 

Kyle looked into his father's eyes, his need laid bare. 

"Do you love me?" 

His father glowered. "What kind of question–" 

"_DO YOU LOVE ME?!_" 

The scream was wrenched from the depths of Kyle's soul... it was the one question that had plagued him for years, even if he didn't know it. 

And for the first time in his life, Kyle watched as his father was struck speechless. 

Seconds ticked by. The only noise that could be heard was that of the grandfather clock out in the hall, ticking away, oblivious to its owners. 

"Have you ever loved me?" Kyle whispered. 

And for the second time in his life, Kyle heard nothing but silence from the man who was his father. 

He felt a prick behind his eyes, a prick he'd not felt since he was a child... an outcast little wimp, begging for mercy at the hands of sniggering bullies twice his size. 

His breath shuddered. A lump filled his throat. He tried to speak, but his voice cracked. He let out a whisper. 

"Get out..." 

His father stepped forward, reached out with one hand... hoping beyond hope that he could still make his child see reason. "Kyle-" 

"**_GET OUT!_**" Kyle screamed, and he barreled forward and shoved his father back through the doorway. 

The man stumbled backward and struck the opposite wall, surprised more than hurt. He knocked loose a picture of their family; it slid down the wall, to the floor, and the protective glass pane across the front cracked. 

By the time he recovered, the echo of the door slamming shut had already faded. 

-- 

Chubs heard the phone ringing, but didn't make much of it. _Probably a business call. Been getting lots of those lately. Maybe Mom managed to sell a house recently? That might put her in a good mood._

He seemed to be making progress on his video game. _If there's one thing about StarCraft, it's that it's addicting._ He was in the middle of executing an incredibly complex strategy when his mother walked into his room. 

"Cody, the phone's for you." 

"Oh, what?" Chubs groaned. "Now? I'm pulling the greatest strategy of all time!" 

"It's Kyle. He says it's 'kinda important'." She handed him an active cordless phone. 

"It better be." Chubs took the phone into the crook of his neck as he continued playing. "Now, what's so important that you needed to interrupt my gaming? I'm not up for a duel right now, if that's-" 

"I need to get out of here." 

Chubs blinked. He recognized the tone in Kyle's voice. He sat upright and hit the Escape button on his keyboard to pause his game. "What's wrong?" 

"I can't exactly arrange for an apartment overnight. You got a room available?" 

"One sec." Chubs leaned back in his seat and turned to the door. "Hey, Mom, something came up with Kyle. He needs a room for a couple days; can he stick around here?" 

"Long as he stays out of my hair and pays for his own food," she responded teasingly. 

"This is serious, Mom." 

"Don't worry, Cody, if he needs a place to stay, he's welcome here." 

Chubs put the phone back to his ear. "You've got a room." 

"Thanks. I'll need you to help me with a few things, too." 

"Whatever you need," Chubs assured. 

"I appreciate it. I'll be over in a while." 

"What's going on? What happened?" 

For several moments, the sound of silence reigned over the line, and Chubs began to think Kyle had hung up. But a response came. 

"I can't talk about it now... I just need out. I'll be there in a while." 

_Click._

------- 

_And thus, the curtain falls on the McCraine residence. Opinions? Comments? Reviews? Dare I hope? Just click that little "Go" button in the lower left corner and leave me a few words... I'd be forever grateful! Up next, Kyle tries to figure out his future as he takes control of his own life._


	19. Migration to Freedom

_A/N: And herewith, the next installment of Kyle's migration to freedon. Gee, that sounds like a great chapter title, doesn't it? What a coincidence! *wink* Have fun, kiddies!_

_Wolf: I think most of us have had to make an appearance at SCA. No worries! And that powerful an ending, huh? I must be doing something right!_

_Ankhutenshi: Actually, until you said it, I don't think I was even consciously aware I was trying to create different styles for the different duelists... but looking back on the duels now, it's oh, so obvious! As for Zack... well... *cue dramatic music*_

_Skraku: Some of us have that friend who'd gladly take us in for a little while. Those of you out there who can identify with this are quite blessed, methinks._

_Lumen: It's pretty much up to the reader to decide whether or not Kyle's father really loves him. Kyle's disillusioned, either way, so it makes little difference to the plot of the story at this point. It might have bearing later, though._

_Penny: Some might envy you those deep sockets! There are those people with huge doe eyes that get teary whenever just about anything happens. Like Tammy Faye Baker. ...Eww, what was I thinking? Subtract a thousand points from my score for mentioning Tammy Faye Baker._

__------- 

When Kyle got to Chubs's house, he looked miserable. This was not, in Chubs's estimation, a good sign, as most of his classmates tended to say Kyle looked miserable even on his brighter days. 

When Kyle rang the doorbell, Chubs broke with custom and answered it himself. He could have told by the sound of Kyle's voice over the phone that something was horribly wrong; it didn't take a rocket scientist, only someone who'd known him for a while. The rough quality of his voice had disappeared. It had sounded hollow, empty, devoid of anything that would otherwise made Kyle's voice what it normally was. 

Kyle was carrying a bag over one shoulder, a suitcase in his other hand, and a hiking backpack on both shoulders. All were quite obviously overloaded with possessions, and thus they were doubtlessly very heavy. 

"I could really use a smoke right about now," Kyle muttered, as he stumbled through the door. 

"Forget it. Get some nicotene patches," Chubs quietly scolded. He reached a hand out to Kyle's left hand, wordlessly offering to take the suitcase. Kyle gladly handed it over and shrugged his shoulder bag off, then dragged it behind him in one hand as he followed the shorter teen. 

"Nah, I picked some up on the way here. The cashier asked me if I was having a good day." Kyle harrumphed. "I didn't even benefit her with an answer. It got to feeling really awkward... at least, on her part." 

"It's probably better you didn't answer, though... you'd've just made her feel bad." Chubs hefted the suitcase downstairs. "Mom, Kyle's here." 

Chubs's mother was sitting in the small office setup downstairs, beyond the living room. As they made their way down, she looked up at Kyle and smiled graciously. "Hi, Kyle!" 

Kyle tried to offer her a smile in return – she was one of the few people he'd grown accustomed to smiling for. "Hi." 

Her smile fell when she saw his expression. "Something's got you down." 

He scoffed slightly. "You can say that again... but I hope you'll take no offense in my saying I'd prefer you didn't." 

"None taken, of course. What's wrong?" 

He sighed. "It's been a long day. Can't say I'd like to go into it just now." 

She nodded in understanding. She'd had several of her own long days. "Well, I hope being here will lift your spirits." 

"So do I." Kyle followed Chubs into the small guest bedroom, released his shoulder bag strap, and shrugged his backpack off. 

"God, what do you have in this thing?" Chubs grunted, releasing the suitcase. It thunked heavily to the floor. 

"Books," Kyle answered. 

Chubs blinked. "Not school books..." 

"Hardly. Just literature I've yet to read. When I was packing my things, I realized just how many books I've got and haven't read yet." Kyle opened the suitcase and revealed a selection of literally dozens of books. He picked one up. "Dante's _Inferno_. Never read it all the way through, and it's a classic. I got this one maybe five years ago." 

Chubs sat on his heels, hovering over the books. "You've got notebooks in here, too." 

"Sure do. It's most of my poetry and short stories. It may be dismal, but a couple teachers have called them brilliant." Kyle tossed _Inferno _back into the pile. 

"Kyle, what's going on?" 

"It's time I left home," Kyle said tersely. "Or what passes for home. It's hell back there, and I can't stand it anymore." 

Chubs frowned. "What about money? I mean, I know your family's well-off, but..." 

"I've got plenty of money saved up. My dad had the decency not to look through my mail; he doesn't know, but I've actually got two bank accounts. I always withdrew from one, never the other. Current balance on the withdrawal account is somewhere around two thousand. Balance on the savings account is about seventy-five thousand." 

Chubs blinked. "What? How could you have saved up that much without anyone knowing?" 

"I've sold a lot of stuff I didn't need throughout my life. It's about the only way to permanently get rid of stuff you don't want back; give it to someone who wants it." A side of Kyle's mouth quirked, the closest he'd gotten to a smile since he arrived. "If there was one thing my parents did, it was to make sure they spared no expense to keep me entertained. I guess maybe they thought that would make me love them." 

Chubs wasn't even sure he wanted to know what Kyle had sold to earn himself that much money. "I guess that explains how you got all your tattoos, then?" 

"Nah, that was withdrawal. Like I said, I've never taken money out of the savings account. Interest racks up on it real fast. It's tough to hide when tax day comes along, but I've been able to manage for a couple years now. I know how to fill out my own tax forms at this point; before I knew, though, I paid a company to do it for me. Easier that way. They handled that account while I went over the withdrawal account with my parents." 

Chubs digested this information for several moments. "So... what're you gonna do now?" 

"About...?" 

"Well, moving out would be the obvious first part," Chubs snorted. "We like you, but I'm pretty sure Mom's not going to let you stay here forever. And school, what'll you do about that, what with all this moving going on? College, that kind of thing." 

"I'll finish out my senior year here, and then move on to college, as planned. I applied to a whole array of colleges, including some my parents weren't exactly... pleased with me applying to." Kyle scoffed. "Not like they had a choice in that matter, though. I found the acceptance letter to the college I really do want to attend in the trash. They hadn't even opened the letter. But I've already been accepted to that college, so I'll attend that one, come time for that. As to moving out, I'm gonna start looking for an apartment and get a few change-of-address forms. And then I'm gonna look for a dermatologist and see about tattoo removal. My arms are hideous." 

Chubs emitted a semi-amused snort. "Took you this long to figure that out?" 

"Thanks, I appreciate the support. And..." Kyle sat down on the bed and sighed. "I'm gonna get a lot more hardcore about Duel Monsters." 

Chubs raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm not happy about that or anything, but can I ask why?" 

"Because it's about the only hobby left me that provides me with any stability." Kyle opened his backpack and removed his card binder, then looked back at Chubs. "Before it was just watch and learn. Now I need hands-on learning. Duel me and show me what I need to know." 

"You've lost to me almost every time we've dueled. Those times you've won, it was by a bare margin." 

"I know. That's how I've learned what I have. I'm getting better." 

"You are," Chubs conceded. "Still, you've got a lot more learning to do to beat me." 

"I know," Kyle said again. "And I want to learn." 

Chubs thought about this for several moments. "You sure this is what you want? Even the most up-to-date rulebook can't tell you everything you need to know." 

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, it's what I want. It's a challenge, that's why I want to meet it. If I can win at Duel Monsters... maybe I can start winning at life." 

-- 

Thusly, Kyle's intensive training in the art of Duel Monsters began. They skipped the tournament the next day, instead devoting themselves to studying both their schoolbooks and Duel Monsters. Over the next week, Chubs and Kyle both pored over the vast knowledge that websites and rulebooks and strategy guides could provide them. Every day, at least an hour was spent on learning a little more about the complexities of the game, what cards worked best in strategies... whatever they needed to know in order to become better duelists. 

Even their classmates took notice of Kyle's sharp focus. It was even sharper than before... more clear-headed. He wanted to learn, wanted to find a way out of the dismal life he had for himself. 

Over the next week, Kyle went through the tedious process of getting his most prized possessions out of the house he'd once called home. Most of what he got out, he got out through the window of his room, whose door he kept locked full-time. He obviously couldn't get his furniture out through that window, but it made little difference to him. At one point, when neither of his parents were home, Kyle had Chubs and Zack help him in the bold venture of getting the majority of his possessions out; a friend of Zack's happened to own a truck, and once he was told the situation, he'd been eager to support Kyle's decision. Some furniture made it out the door, including his disassembled computer desk and a small bookshelf. The bed and the drawers, he left behind; he did the same with the majority of his clothing. 

At the same time, Kyle searched for, and managed to acquire, a small apartment on the other side of town. It was a tiny deal, one-person, only one window... but it was, nevertheless, a place for him to be able to call his own. He gladly paid the security deposit and three months' worth of rent on the place. He also gave a huge advance on the utilities. Then, he filled out the required change-of-address forms at the post office. 

_I'm not the scared, lost little boy I used to be when Jason died_, he thought defiantly, as he, Chubs, Zack, and Zack's companion took the last of his desired possessions out of the house. _I'm going to take my life and live it the way I should have been living it all along... my own way._

The Friday after his last argument with his father was the day he'd taken his friends on this last, giant spurt. He'd not seen his parents since. He didn't expect to. He hoped he wouldn't. 

On his way out, he made sure his room's door was unlocked and wide open, so that his parents could see it for themselves. The room was spotlessly clean, possessed only of a neatly made bed, a dresser full of well-folded clothes, and a closet full of suits and toys. There were no messes underneath the furniture. There was no whine of an active computer. 

On the bed were his keys – to his room, to the cars, to the house. 

He was gone. And there was no way they were going to make him come back. 

-- 

Kyle didn't even bother to look back at the place as the truck pulled away. He was sitting in the bed of the truck alongside his things, tolerating the brisk breeze of a pre-spring afternoon. Chubs was also there, sitting in the other corner, staring at his friend. 

The stout sophomore shook his head. "Kyle, my friend, there are some things about you that scare me. But this, this thing you're doing here... this scares me right to the edge." 

"Well, no one said you had to help me out," Kyle answered blandly. "I asked your help, and you chose of your own will to give it. Even if you hadn't, I would still have done this." 

"I know. But who's to say your parents won't come looking for you?" 

"They won't, not in the district where my apartment is. It's too seedy for them. That's the point." Kyle smirked. "I know exactly where my parents will go and won't go. I've stuck myself in around the people they least want to know. The 'hoodlums.' Also known as people who don't earn twenty-five thousand a year. The area's dirty, some of the locals are unethical... it's enough to drive them off. And for all they know, I'll have romped to another state." 

"What if they come looking for you at school? They still control your lower education." 

"Actually, they don't. I'm eighteen, a legal adult. If they choose to pull their funding for me, then I'll pay for it myself. As for if they come looking for me..." He shrugged. "Maybe there are some things that just can't be avoided. But this is my decision, and they've got no right to interfere in it now. So they can either learn to live with it or sulk the rest of their lives. But I'm not playing to their tune anymore." 

Kyle leaned back into the corner of the bed. "You worry too much, Chubs. I'll be fine, you'll see. I could never make my parents proud of me, but I'm gonna make _me_ proud of me. At this point, I'm quite proud of me." 

"Good to know." 

-- 

Time passed. The rest of March came and went. Kyle made the decision to quit smoking, and his new lifestyle wasn't interrupted by his parents at any point during the remainder of that month. He got himself settled into his new apartment rather comfortably, and he soon found himself in the midst of a routine. 

After school, Kyle sauntered into the annex casually, plucked his mail from the mailbox designated for his room, sat down at his desk and shuffled through his mail. His apartment was in a seedier neighborhood, but it got him away from his parents. He knew that telling his parents off was not going to automatically solve the problem... that they'd remain convinced a profession in the medical field would be in his best interests. 

_Maybe my absence will knock some sense into them._

__The mail was neither numerous in number, nor interesting. Two bills, a free credit card application, a copy of his high school transcript, offers for membership in Duel Monsters fan clubs... 

Kyle rolled his eyes. _Better establish what I want and don't want pretty quickly._

__He opened up his newspaper and scanned through it. Most of the items were of local or national interest, and that was mostly the same song and dance... murders, court cases, political digression. 

His interest was piqued, however, upon reading the headline " 'Game' Sets Lethal Fire to Death Row Escapee". _Well, well... what have we here?_

DOMINO, Japan (AP) -- A lethal game involving a bottle of Russian vodka and a lit cigarette has left an escaped Death Row criminal dead. 

At 3:24 P.M. today, the infamous Japanese criminal Sasaki Tetsuoto was pronounced dead on the scene at a local fast food store. The cause of his death was extreme chemical burns inflicted to 65% of his body. 

At approximately 12:50 P.M. today, Tetsuoto escaped from the West Domino Maximum Security Detention Facility of Japan after fatally beating one guard and seriously injuring several others with a stolen revolver. 

According to police, Tetsuoto eluded capture for nearly two and a half hours by hiding in the dense woods outside the detention facility and eventually making his way into the city of Domino. 

Reportedly, Tetsuoto made his way to a local fast food store, where he took one hostage and demanded food and cigarettes. Tetsuoto subsequentially ordered the other occupants of the store to lie on the floor and cover their eyes, threatening his hostage's life. 

Despite this, witnesses drawing upon their auditory recollection claim that a customer approached Tetsuoto and recklessly challenged him to a bizarre game. Witnesses claim items used for this game included a full bottle of Russian vodka and a cigarette lighter. 

Initial police reports state that the contents of the bottle were spilled across Tetsuoto's table and lap, and that a lit cigarette ignited the vodka, comprised of 90% alcohol, and caused a chemical fire that burned Tetsuoto to death. 

Police reports indicate that Tetsuoto's body was so badly burned that they required his dental records to verify identification. 

The customer that offered the bizarre challenge to Tetsuoto remains anonymous. Police refuse to speculate on the customer's identity, or even if the exchange truly took place. 

The fast food store's management commented only that after this incident, they would ensure the installation of security cameras. 

Tetsuoto was sentenced to death in Tokyo last year on multiple counts of arson, rape, and murder. His execution was scheduled for next month. 

Kyle stroked his chin thoughtfully. _I'll bet there's more going on here than meets the eye._

__**_...king...Shadow game..._**

**__**Kyle sighed. He had dealt with this voice for a while now, and he was about ready to go into therapy. The only thing stopping him from doing so was the fact that he would have to admit to doing something highly immoral and illegal: grave robbing. He wasn't sure what a psychologist would do with that information. 

He clutched his pendant protectively. _Call me crazy, but this thing's my good luck charm. Ever since I came back, I've been changing. I'm realizing what I've done to myself. Makes me feel a little more... human._

__Kyle sighed. _Hot in here._ He strolled over to the air conditioner and turned it on, then removed his jacket. This was the only place where he allowed his tattoos to show anymore. 

_That reminds me... I need to make an appointment with Dr. Hayden to schedule removal of these things._ His face scrunched as he spied the black barbed wire pictures etched into his skin. _Hideous._

__**_...Shadow..._**

**__**_Huh. Never thought about that. What I was was a darker form... a shadow... of what I have the potential to be._

_**...game...**_

_****I was playing games with my family. Trying to get their attention. Trying to show them that I didn't have to be what they wanted me to be. But it was childish, screwed up... sick. I didn't have to do all that to myself. All I had to do was leave, but I didn't have the courage to do it._

_Not until we came back from Egypt._

_**...Egypt...home...**_

_****I came home from Egypt, and I had this new sense of confidence. Guess dodging a few bullets will do that to you. But I took this voice with me. And now I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do... I've disowned my family and taken up residence in about the wrost area of this town. I suppose I'd better start job-hunting; I may have a lot of money, but it won't last me forever._

_But before I even start that up, I need to make sure I'm presentable when I walk in with a resume. I'd best get to grooming._

__Kyle finished reading his newspaper, then grabbed his wallet and keys and left. 

He felt his hands shaking slightly as he mounted his motorcycle. He sighed. _I could really use a cigarette right about now... but no. I'm finished with that. Nicotene patch or something, but I'm never putting another filter to my lips. And I'm gonna burn all the clothes I've got that smell of smoke._

__**_...burn...pain...fire so hot..._**

**__**Kyle shrugged at the voice. _Well, hey, withdrawal can make anybody go crazy. Too bad you were around before I decided to quit. Otherwise I could blame you on the withdrawal._

_**...fire...pain...burn...**_

_****_The words had an obsessive ring in his head. He guessed that whatever the voice was, it had a morbid fascination with fire. 

He chose to ignore the voice, for the moment. _Okay, so a box of nicotene patches, some new clothing, a little food... what else? Hn, guess I'll figure that out along the way._

__**_...burn...pain...hot..._**

**__**Kyle revved his motorcycle and made for the nearest store. 

-- 

Kyle's trip through the local convenience store wasn't very interesting, and that was the way he preferred it. He thought it best to try to keep a low profile in places like this, especially considering his parents. 

_Strange, they haven't yet gone looking for me. One wonders if they really did care at all. Or maybe they'll try to launch a surprise attack on me. Bleh. That'd be just like them, too. I could see them doing that. "Kyle, come back with us right now, because you're sure not going back to that hellhole you call a home!" Joke would be on them._

He collected the items he'd come here for, then approached the cashier to pay for them. As he approached, however, his eyes were greeted by a familiar face in another lane. 

_Monica? Here? Wow. Wonder what's got her so far down on the totem pole these days, for her to resort to a place like this..._

That was when he noticed her right eye. It had been badly bruised. Her attempt to hide it with makeup had been valiant, but it was still obvious... at least to him, who'd had a chance to see a few black eyes in this neighborhood. 

He frowned. _What's going on there? Why would Monica, of all people, have a black eye?_

She was facing down, not making eye contact with anyone. That she wasn't making eye contact in itself wasn't so strange – it was the looking down part that forced Kyle to wonder further. _Someone hit her, maybe?_

He felt the urge to call out to her, to go over to her, to talk to her... to do _some_thing. 

But before he could even try to make up his mind, her head craned just slightly upward, and she gave a quick, furtive glance around the store. 

She spotted him. Staring at her. 

Her eyes widened, and she looked back down at the floor, slight color rising to her cheeks. 

"Sir? Your total is thirty-seven ninety-two." 

Kyle blinked a moment. "Huh?" He glanced back at the cashier, who was looking at him expectantly. "Oh! Right." He pulled out a pair of $20 bills and handed them to her. "Sorry about that." 

"No problem, sir. Two-oh-eight is your change, have a nice day." 

"I'll give it a shot." Kyle picked up the bags his groceries had been placed in and gave Monica another glance. 

She was already hurrying out the door, not looking up and certainly not in the mood to talk to anyone – Kyle McCraine, least of all. 

Kyle's frown deepened as he followed her out the door and watched her quickly drive away. 

_What's happened to you, Monica?_

**_...pain... hurt..._**

_Yeah... she's been hurt... but by who?_

------- 

_Suggestions, reviews, even a couple rants (relating to this story) would be welcome! Just click that little "Go" button and help me out! How am I doing? Up next, Kyle tries to find out what's going on. Plus, Kyle's eyes play tricks on him when he meets a veteran duelist. Stay tuned!_


	20. Labyrinth Brother

_A/N: Before I say anything about this chapter, I **have** to give a **HUGE** shout-out to Ankhutenshi. She was (and continues to be) a major source of inspiration, up to, including, and far beyond the character you're about to meet; indeed, she's inspired me since the day I began writing both this story and its prequel! Without her, a good deal of this story might not have been written, or at least not nearly as well. So... *shamelessly glomps Ankhutenshi*_

_As for the rest of you, go check out this amazing authoress' stories! Among other areas, her link can be found in my profile's Favorite Authors page, as well as several of the review pages for this story._

_Speaking of which... Chapter 20! Who'd have thought? There's so much to tell in this tale. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as far as plot is concerned. There's a lot that's going on here, let's see if everyone can keep track of it. Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine put it best: "Fun will now commence."_

_Wolf: Well, keep your eye on the story and you may figure out where that particular plot line is going. I already know, of course, but that's one of the perks of being the author! Ahh, the joys (and evils) of suspense._

_Lumen: Lots of us have books we've never read. I, for example, have never read Frank Herbert's "Dune". And it's been a long time since I read The Hobbit or the LotR series. Heck, I haven't even gotten through half of HP5! It wouldn't surprise me if everyone who read that segment can relate somehow._

------- 

First Week of April 

-- 

Kyle chose not to tell Chubs about his encounter with Monica in the convenience store. Instead, he made the placement of a single yellow rose in her locker a more regular routine, though he did his best not to let on that it was he who was doing it. Several people had caught him in the act already, but they'd simply smirked and gone about their business. He didn't mind, just as long as word didn't get back to her about it... yet. 

He bought a small couch to liven up his apartment. It was in sections, which made it a bit easier to heft into his second-floor living space. His landlord didn't mind, so long as Kyle didn't make a racket doing it. In turn, Kyle was very quiet about moving the segments up the stairs. He also bought a mini-refrigerator and a microwave, and did his best to cut down his spending on fast food places. 

Hanging out with Zack was something he ended up doing less often. Zack seemed to be in a brooding, contemplative manner most of the time these days. He was polite, but succinct when he had to speak and aloof when he didn't. It was something that concerned Kyle. 

He went into the card shop Thursday afternoon to ask after the subject. There wasn't anyone else in the shop at that point, so as soon as the door closed, Kyle placed his hands on his hips and stared accusingly at Zack. "Okay, spill it. What's got you so down these days?" 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Zack responded promptly, though his eyes had taken a sudden interest in inspection of the cash register's buttons. 

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. You don't think seriously think people aren't noticing, do you?" Kyle crossed his arms. "Me, Chubs... even other regulars to this shop have been talking about how the cashier doesn't seem to want to talk much. This, a far cry from your previous behavior of friendly verbal sparring and good old chit-chat. What's going on with you?" 

"I've just been thinking, that's all." 

"For a month? Must be pretty important stuff you're thinking about." 

"To me, it is." 

"Well, would you snap out of it? Pull your head up out of the mass of the crowd and take a look around. There's a world beyond your own mind, you know." 

Zack scoffed. "Fine statement for you to make. As I hear, you've been living in your own world ever since I moved away that first time." 

"I got over it. You should do the same before you turn into what I turned into." 

The older boy heaved a sigh. "All right, fine, I'll say something about it, since you won't leave until I do." 

Kyle's face darkened. "You want me to leave?" 

"What I want you to do is stop badgering me about my own problems. But since you're not content to do that..." 

"I don't suppose it ever occurred to you that one thing friends are good for is listening. And another thing is helping." 

"This isn't something that anyone else can help me with." 

"Then at least talk to someone about it. Doesn't have to be me, but something's weighing you down and you seems like you could use someone to talk to right about now." 

Zack sighed again. "All right, all right. I already said I'd say something about it." He leaned back against the rear counter. "Remember that first second tier tournament you went to? The one where you got beaten in the second round?" 

"Yeah, what about it?" 

"You were there when I talked to my first opponent, right?" 

"Uh... I think so. Memory's a little fuzzy. I think it was a girl. Didn't she have a lot of silver on?" 

"Yeah, that's her." Zack scoffed. "She beat me in the first round. I don't know how she fared after that. The moment I turned around, I couldn't spot her anywhere in the store. Guess she got beaten by someone else. Anyway, she's... been rather aggravating." 

"What do you mean? You mean since that tournament?" 

"Yeah. She's pretty much the reason I don't want to go to tourneys anymore." 

Kyle frowned. "Why? What did she do?" 

"Well, she knows I run the website that deals in all those cards," he said. "She's after my resources." 

"So let her at them. You like business, right?" 

"This isn't exactly the same thing." Zack made a wry sound. "Let's say she's sort of like Monica is. Dogged persistence, willing to do just about anything to get what she wants. I don't like doing business with people like that." 

"The Internet's impersonal, Zack. How do you weed out the cutthroats from the nice people over that medium?" 

"Good point. But this is different. I know her in person. And I really don't want her trying to get at what I have." 

Kyle's eyes narrowed. _Why do I get the feeling he's not talking about what he's made available on the Internet? He hasn't yet said what it is she wants._ "There's something you're not telling me." 

"There's a lot that I'm not telling you, principally because I don't want to tell you. What I _will_ tell you – and this is the last thing before I shut up – is that she happens to know a relative of the guardian of the gates." 

Kyle blinked. "What?" 

"I said it once, I won't say it again. Now... will you _please_ leave the matter alone? I'll deal with her on my own time and on my own terms. If I want help, I'll ask for it." 

_A relative of the guardian of the gates... sounds Japanese._ Kyle scoffed, both in amusement at his own thoughts and in annoyance at Zack's stubbornness. "Fine. But you know we're right here if you need us." 

"Yeah, I know." Zack sighed once more. "Anything else?" 

"Well, while you're at it, I might like to see some of your stock. I need to build up on my collection." 

Zack visibly relaxed, relieved to be discussing something he could have some control over. "Let me see what I can conjure up, then." 

-- 

When Kyle got back to the complex that evening, he grabbed his mail, took it back to his apartment, and sorted through it as usual. His eyebrow rose when he found one simply addressed "McCraine", with no return address label and no stamp. _Someone must've delivered this personally. But it's not the landlord's writing..._

He got out his letter opener and took to the envelope with it, then pulled out the piece of notebook paper inside. 

_McCraine,_

_I'm just as surprised as you probably are that I'm even writing anything to you. Don't get used to it, because whatever sick game you've been playing these last few months, it won't work on me. You're still degenerate trash. And if you tell anyone – and I mean anyone – about what you saw last week at that store, I'll make your life miserable. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't told anyone yet; and I'd know whether you did or not because word gets around, even from your chunk-assed friend. Whatever. Keep your damn mouth shut about it._

He scoffed at the letter. "You're welcome," he said aloud. He knew better than Monica did that Chubs could keep a secret when he needed to, and this would likely have been one of those times, if he'd bothered to say anything about it. 

_Of course, that could be a crime in itself. If someone's hurting her, and Chubs and I did nothing even though we knew it was happening... that's a crime against morality, if nothing else._

He took a seat at his computer desk and considered his reply as he pulled up his Word program. Before he wrote anything, though, he picked up his phone and dialed Chubs' number. 

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, there, Mrs. Smith, it's Kyle. Is Chubs around?" 

_"Yeah, he's playing his video game. You sure you want to talk to him?"_

__Kyle chuckled. "Reasonably sure." 

_"All right, then. Just a minute."_ A few moments passed, and Kyle heard considerable grumbling on the other end before the next words came. _"Yeah?"_

"Was wondering about something. Do you know if Monica's going out with anyone?" 

_"You called me up in the middle of StarCraft to keep gnawing on that bone? Let it go, Kyle."_

"I'm just curious, but if you don't know..." 

_"She is, actually. Xander Lind. You know, that football jock that's like six-six and weighs two hundred fifty pounds? Built like a bulldozer."_

"I know my classmates, thanks." 

_"Yeah, well, she's stuck with him for a while. I'm surprised. I thought she'd dump him after a week or two, but I guess she liked him enough to keep him around. So give it up already, man, she's taken."_

Kyle emitted a laugh that was slightly forced; his stomach was turning. "Well, you know me... can't give up that easily." 

_"Whatever, man. Anything else?"_

"Nope, that about does it. I'll get you get back to your game." 

_"Much appreciated. Talk to you later."_

Kyle hung up, then went into the bathroom and slumped against the wall next to the mirror. He glanced at his reflection once, then closed his eyes. _So... what do I do about this? Try to talk to a teacher? Talk to Xander? ... Nah, better not talk to him about it. And going to her parents – yuck. Can't talk to her about it, either, or anyone else._

**_...speak... pain..._**

_Heh, well, I guess I can talk to you about it. Monica's getting hurt, and she's trying to keep it secret. She's going out with a human tank, and she's been doing it longer than expected. I know all this and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it._

**_...him..._**

_You want to know about Xander? Okay... Xander has notably few ethics on physicality, which is why he's such an asset on the football field and on the wrestling mat. He makes straight A's, he tends to be a trustworthy person, he's generally quiet, and people respect him. But he can also be an angry sort. I once saw him punching a rolled-up wrestling mat in the gym, just out of pure blood fury._

**_...fear..._**

_Yeah. People fear him. And if he's hurting Monica, and he heard about someone accusing him of it... he might make even more reason for her, specifically, to fear him. His defense is his trustworthiness. Even if allegations were made, he'd have enough time between the allegations and an investigation to inflict real harm. And if not that, certainly influence._

_So what do I do?_

**_...cannot... remain..._**

_Can't remain what? Neutral? Quiet?_

_**...cannot...**_

Kyle sighed. _Whatever you're trying to tell me... it's probably true. I've gotta do something._

_Question is: what?_

And with that in mind, he settled himself at his computer and began to write his response. 

-- 

Sunday afternoon saw Kyle and Chubs dueling each other in the nearby park. The place was more suited for a golf course; the trees were expertly placed and trimmed, there were a few gazebos here and there, but mostly it was lush, well-kempt green grass. If anything, the trees defined the borders of the park. There might be a couple kids in those trees, much to the dismay of their parents, who would demand they get down from there right now or you're going to break your head open, and all the king's horses and all the king's men... 

They were situated in one of the gazebos, and the afternoon was an unseasonably nice one. The sun was out, there was nary a cloud to be seen, and the temperature was quite reasonable. The occasional breeze knocked their cards a little off-kilter, but usually it wasn't much to just realign them. Chubs, as usual, had a streak of success going against Kyle. Kyle had won a couple times, but better strategy and more luck was coming to the stout sophomore this afternoon. Kyle didn't mind. In his view, it just showed him where he was going wrong with both his deck construction and his strategy. _I'll need some more coaching before I take on the second tier again._

This game, as had been the case four times in a row already, ended in Kyle's defeat. As the two duelists were shuffling their decks, Chubs glanced past Kyle and indicated something behind his older friend's back with a toss of his head. "There. That girl looks familiar." 

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is it a girl I should get to know?" 

"Why don't you turn around and see for yourself?" 

Kyle did so, and when he did, he found himself looking at an attractive slender brunette settled against a tree trunk, reading a book. The sunlight glinted off the multiple silver necklaces she wore over her light blue T-shirt. The girl's hair seemed to end somewhere around the middle of her back, and at the moment, it was pulled back into a long, straight ponytail. 

Kyle automatically tugged on his own hair, which he had also pulled into a ponytail this morning. Chubs was right; the girl _was_ familiar. She was familiar because Zack had called her to Kyle's memory a few days ago. This was the same girl that Zack had accused of dogging him for his "possessions", whatever that term meant in this particular instance. 

He turned back around. "What about her?" 

"You made the point for me. Maybe you might like to get to know her. She's duelist, isn't she?" 

"Zack hasn't taken a particular shine to her." 

"Why not?" 

"Something about her chasing after his cards." 

Chubs chuckled. "Bet he's just jealous a hot girl like that isn't chasing after _him_." 

"Don't tell me you're not," Kyle scoffed. 

"I've resigned myself to dying alone, thank you." Chubs grinned. "Seriously, though, just 'cause Zack might have an issue with her doesn't mean you should. Zack and I can't always be your coaches in this game. You need a broader experience." 

"Which is what the tournaments are for. And no offense, Kyle, but you could use some friends. Can't always depend on me for everything." Chubs idly shuffled his deck. 

Kyle shrugged. "Why not? You do pretty well as a friend. As far as I can tell, anyway." 

"Exactly. Might not hurt to develop a frame of reference. Besides, I've not seen her before... not before the tourney, anyway... and I think she's a better chance at being your friend than anyone back at the high school would be." 

Kyle snorted. "True enough." That said, he got up from the table and went over to meet the brown-haired duelist. 

She looked up as he approached, one finger resting on the page where she had stopped reading. Her eyes were a gleaming green, and they seemed to bore straight through his skull. 

Kyle scratched the back of his neck, underneath his black ponytail. He wasn't quite sure how to present himself. 

_Ah, to hell with it and just say something! _"Um... hi. My name's Kyle." 

"Yes, I know," she replied calmly. 

Kyle's hands found their way into his pockets, and though there was nothing within them save for his deck, his fingers were clawing. _Ouch... guess that means she doesn't want to say her name. Not good for starters._ "I think I remember seeing you at the last Duel Monsters tournament... at the game shop, over on 5th Street?" 

"Mmm-hmm..." she answered, not sounding terribly interested. "The tournaments there are all right. I've noticed your friend there a couple times, but I don't recall seeing you there before. Was it your first tournament?" 

"Not really. I've been trying, but I'm still a beginner." Kyle tugged at his ponytail. "I'm not doing too well so far. But he's giving me a few pointers." 

It seemed as though she finally decided to humor him. "If you plan on chatting for a while, you may as well sit. My name's Jade." 

Kyle looked at her for a moment. _Is she really all that interested in hearing me talk?_ Nevertheless, he sat down, trying to keep a respectful distance from her. _No sense in crowding her._ "I'd like to chat for a while... but I'd also like to be chatted to, as well." 

Jade fished a bookmark out of her pocket, marked her page, and closed the book. On the cover were a pair of winged people fighting in midair; a fantasy book. "About?" she prompted. 

Kyle shrugged. "Anything you like. Obviously Duel Monsters is a certain passion of yours. I heard something about..." He snapped his fingers, trying to remember what Zack had told him – _guardian of gates..._ "Oh, what was it? ...Gate..." Then his mind caught on to it. _Oh! That's what he was trying to tell me!_

"Gate Guardian. Yeah, that was it." He cocked his head at her. "I heard you had something that might be related to it." 

She gave him a look that was a cross between amusement and exasperation. "Related to it... yeah, something like that. Eventually, I'm going to have the Gate Guardian in my deck," she said firmly. 

He raised an eyebrow. "A tall order. I was given to understand that it's in the class of Exodia. And if that's the case, it's got to be murder to even find anything even in remote relation to Gate Guardian." 

She smirked. "Funny, a second ago, you could hardly remember what it was called, and now you know it's an Exodia-class monster. Someone knowing a little more than he's letting on?" she inquired. 

Kyle blinked at her statement. _She's right... how did I know that, all of a sudden? No one even told me that... I've only heard of Gate Guardian by name, not reputation, and only from what Zack's told me. He doesn't even know what power it has._

Without waiting for an answer, she reached into her jacket's inner pocket and pulled out her deck. A few flips brought her desired card to the top. The picture of Kazejin, the wind section of the Gate Guardian, was nearly the same shade of green as its owner's eyes. He glanced down at the card she bore, and his eyes widened, both at its attack power and its effect. 

_Kazejin. Wind attribute. Level 7. [Spellcaster / Effect] Reduce the ATK of an opponent's monster attacking this card to 0. This effect can only be used once. The card's owner chooses when to activate this effect. (2400/2200)_

"Where did you get that?" he asked. 

"I won it in a duel. My Kazejin," she said, sounding almost... fond. 

Kyle sat back and whistled. "A monster like that? Must've jumped through some hoops in that duel." 

"Maybe," she said. A small smile played across her lips. "Maybe you'd like to try your luck against a Labyrinth Brother?" 

Kyle grinned slightly. "I don't have any monsters like that. Would you expect something of the duel, if you were to win?" 

She shrugged. "I suppose not. I _do_ know how to duel with no stakes, you know." 

Kyle put his hands up in a defensive posture. "I didn't mean that quite the way it sounded. But you seem like someone who wouldn't just do someone a favor simply 'cause she felt like it... no offense." 

"Is that what I'd be doing? A favor by dueling you?" 

Kyle emitted a snort. "Frankly, I don't think I'm that strong a duelist. You sure you want to duel a weakling? I think you'd just end up trouncing me." 

She put Kazejin back into her deck. "As you wish." 

Kyle chewed on the inside of his lower lip. "Someday... I may take you up on the offer, if it remains open." He shook his head. "But there are two conditions for me to even consider doing that." 

She raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue. 

"One: that I'm a strong duelist with the confidence to win. Two: I have a card of equal value, both monetary and personal." 

She gave him a genuine smile. "Deal." 

He nodded, feeling the tension ease slightly. "Only problem is... I'm not sure how I'd find you if and when that day were to come." 

"It had better be 'when'," she smirked. "And I'll find you. That's just how it is." 

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Oh, is it?" 

She winked at him. 

Kyle decided not to press the issue further – _I've bothered her enough already and she's been very kind to indulge me in even this much conversation_ – and extended a hand. "Pleasure meeting you, Jade." 

She shook it. "You too, Kyle. I'll see you 'round." 

Kyle nodded, then got to his feet and went back to the gazebo, where Chubs was still shuffling his deck. The motion was so regular and constant and fluid, it was almost infuriating to Kyle. "Man, why do you even bother shuffling that much? Eventually you're going to have two back-to-back duels with the exact same deck structure, out of sheer luck, as many times as you shuffle!" 

"What's it to you? Shuffling is an important skill in this game. A Duel Monsters deck shuffles more than a dozen old people on a square-dance floor." Chubs harrumphed, an amused sound. "What's she like?" 

"She's okay. Kinda standoffish, but okay. Not nearly to Monica's extent." 

"That's not saying much." 

"Well, hey, frame of reference, right?" Kyle looked back to where Jade was sitting. 

...or rather, where she _had_ been sitting. 

He gaped. "I don't believe it." 

In the middle of a park that had virtually nothing but plains of grass and the occasional tree, Jade had utterly vanished. 

-------__

_D'you get the feeling that won't be the last we see of her? I hope you do! Now I get to beg you for reviews. All you've gotta do is click that little "Go" button there in the corner! Up next, things take a turn for the worse for Monica, and a long-lost warrior returns. By the way, have you read **Shielded Destiny** yet? Stay tuned!_


	21. Emergence

_A/N: And here's Chapter 21! Next update is scheduled for Feb. 29th. I just couldn't resist trying to put a chapter on a weird day! I hope you enjoy this one, it's got a little more action for those of you who are tired of plot development. *wink*_

_Penny: I'm glad SOMEone appreciates the cliffies! I try my best._

_Wolf: Yep, Ankhutenshi is a great inspiration to us all. Batman-esque? I'd not really considered Jade to be like that... but now that you mention it, she IS the one that strikes fear in the hearts of mortal men... *grin*_

_Skraku: Had to show what was happening with Zack sooner or later, didn't I? And I'm glad you appreciate the finer qualities of my female characters. Just don't ask questions like that around Jade, she's liable to beat you down with her Labyrinth Brother and not care how many colors you turn!_

------- 

The Next Day 

-- 

Kyle marched into the card shop after school. Nobody else was there, and from the looks of things, Zack was bored out of his mind while in the midst of reading a college textbook. Kyle made sure the door was securely shut before approaching the counter. 

Before Zack could even say anything, Kyle fixed him with a hard stare and spoke first. "When were you going to tell me you have a Labyrinth Brother?" 

At this, Zack's head immediately snapped up, and the expression on his face – one of a deer caught in the headlights – was all Kyle needed to know his feeling had been right. 

The cashier slowly closed his textbook and set it down before looking back at Kyle and lacing his fingers together. A look of resigned curiosity was on his face. "How did you find out?" 

"I met the girl you told me about yesterday. She said she wanted Gate Guardian. She showed me her piece of it." 

Zack raised his eyebrow at Kyle, but Kyle continued. "Yeah, she showed me. Kazejin. Impressive card, impressive effect. Then I realized that you'd never actually told me what it was she wanted. You were so careful not to say that what she wanted from you wasn't something you had available for sale. You said you didn't want her to have access to what you had, and that can just as easily apply to anything else you own." 

Kyle leaned over the counter. "She was terse with you at the tournament. Didn't even bother to give you her name. Not that it mattered to her, because she was more than ready to duel you, which is why she was there. To duel you specifically. She was ready to reveal to you that she knew you had a Labyrinth Brother. Somehow she knew it." 

"You don't know that," Zack responded. 

"It doesn't matter. You have one, and she believes you have one. Right?" 

He sighed and nodded. 

"What did she say?" 

"That she knew I had one, and the next time I came to a tournament, she'd make sure to be there." He glared in disgust at the memory. "I saw the lust in her eyes. The way she looked at me was something like a sprinter looking at a hurdle. I'm in the way, and she plans to jump right over me to achieve her goal. She seemed about as impatient as a sprinter, too." 

Kyle sighed. "Zack... I'm not your friend for no reason. I want to help." 

"I don't see how you can. Her problem is with me, not you." 

"Maybe you can make her my problem and not yours. Then you wouldn't have to worry about her, if she scares you that much." 

"Who's scared?" 

"You are, obviously. You won't go to tournaments, you won't even engage in friendly private duels. What's she going to do if she sees your Labyrinth Brother? Wrench it from your hand and run off with it?" 

"The thought had occurred to me. Maybe it's occurred to her, too." 

"She didn't seem to me to be that kind of person when I talked to her yesterday. Seems to me that she would play a Duel Monsters game fair and square." 

"Yeah, but she would put stakes to it. Some duelists do that, you know. They offer a card as an ante. Or they challenge an opponent to offer a card as an ante. She'd challenge me for Sanga." 

"For what?" 

"Sanga of the Thunder. My Labyrinth Brother." Zack pulled a deck tin out of his pocket. He opened the small container and flipped through the cards inside until he found the one he was searching for. He flashed it at Kyle, who inspected it for a moment. This one, unlike the green Kazejin Jade had shown to him the previous day, was red and gold, and its features were markedly different from those of its brother. A flash of lightning was in the background of the picture. 

_Sanga of the Thunder. Light attribute. Level 7. [Thunder / Effect] Reduce the ATK of an opponent's monster attacking this card to 0. This effect can only be used once. The card's owner chooses when to activate this effect. (2600/2200)_

"Effect's still the same, but this one's stronger," Kyle noted. 

"It's the strongest of the three Labyrinth Brothers. But none of them compares to Gate Guardian itself." 

"And this is why she's after you." 

Zack nodded. 

"Have you seen her since that tournament?" 

"Several times. Like when I'm out on casual business. I'll spot her out of the corner of my eye. She's always there, watching me. Like she's chasing me. I'm surprised she hasn't come strolling in here and just flat-out demanded a duel for it yet, if she wants it so badly." 

"Probably the intimidation she wants first," Kyle suggested. "And it seems to be working." 

"It does, at that. Think I could get a restraining order on her?" 

"Doubtful, if she hasn't made any aggressive moves." 

"Too bad." Zack put the card back into his deck and stuffed the deck tin back in his pocket. "I'll deal with her. Don't worry about it." 

"I can't help worrying about it, especially when you don't seem to be handling it all that well. Ignore her. If she approaches, ignore her. If she challenges you, ignore her. You've got no reason to put your card on the line. It's yours. However you acquired it, I'm sure you did so fair and square. So that's that. There've got to be others out there she can chase down." 

"Yeah, two others," Zack snorted. "But if she doesn't know where those are, she's going to stick with me." 

Kyle shrugged. "Then she'll stick with you until the cows come home. But that doesn't mean you have to accept any price or challenge she offers. If you want to keep it, keep it. It's just that simple." 

"Thanks for the advice. Is there anything else, or did you come in here purely to berate me for not telling you something you didn't need to know anyway?" 

Kyle fought down a glare. "No, I'm done. I'll be on my way, then." 

-- 

"Monica, you got a letter today." 

"I get tons of letters, Mom. What makes this one so special?" 

"No return address. Only has your first name across it." Her mother harrumphed. "Yet another one of your secret admirers, I'm sure... too cowardly to make his case publicly known... at least that Xander boy is doing well for you." 

She winced involuntarily at the mention of her current boyfriend's – _boyfriend? Not anymore, Mom just wishes he was_ – name. The one thing that made the pain of her bruises worse was the knowledge that her mother was completely clueless as to what happened behind her back... and she didn't have the guts to tell her. 

She snatched the letter from her mother's grasp and made her way to her room, subsequently slamming the door shut and locking it. As her mother had said, the only thing on the envelope was the name "Monica". 

Curious, she opened it up and unfolded the letter inside. 

_Monica,_

_My life's already been made miserable, so your threats ring hollow to me – there's not much you can do to make it worse. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with what I saw. Morally, it's right that I should tell somebody, and yet you don't want me to say anything. To respect your wishes, I won't say anything, but if things keep going the way they look like they've been going... well, I'm going to have to do something. I do know, however, that you need to do something about it now, before things get worse. You don't deserve whatever treatment you've been getting, and you have the power to make it stop. Even if you can't tell your parents about it, you can still tell a teacher, or someone you trust. Sorry I'm not on that list, but someone who is can help you. Please, get help for yourself if you can't handle something like this alone._

Her heart panged several times in her chest as she read the letter over and over. _It's McCraine... he knows... the bastard, he knows what's happening... I gave the killer hint to him when I left him that note, and now he's put it all together and knows._

She sat down on her bed and tried to breathe. _What do I do now? If I don't tell someone, and he sees another bruise on me, he's going to get the word out... I just know it. But if I do tell someone, I'll get hurt even more..._

She glanced at her homework desk, then sighed. _I'll have to write another note to him. Tell him not to get in the way. Don't bother me. I can take care of myself, I didn't ask him to worry about me._

She blinked. _Worry about me? McCraine? Good God, what's happening to this world? Hell must be freezing over._

She finally got up, went over to the desk, and sat down to write a note. _I'll have to drop this off tonight, while he's sleeping. Last thing I need is for him to catch me at that shabby apartment complex._

_But he's right I need to find a way out of this hell. I don't know why he's so hot on seeing that happen, I thought he'd enjoy watching me squirm. But whether he actually believes all this bull or not, he's right._

As she began to write the note, she glanced up through the window. 

She saw his car parked across the street. He was staring at her. 

She shuddered, then closed the curtains and wrote the letter up. _I'm not going out with you, Xander go away_

__-- 

His car had been there virtually all evening. And of course, he had been, too. 

She'd stood him up. _Again_. Even after he'd tried to show her how futile that would be. 

He sighed disappointedly. He'd really have to teach her some respect. He wouldn't like it, and neither would she, but it needed to be done. 

-- 

12:40 A.M. 

The pendant about his neck shimmered. 

His body moved in slow, deliberate motions. At first, they wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else in the room; nevertheless, they were occurring. His body rolled incrementally towards the edge of the couch and teetered over the one-foot cliff, until gravity finally took its toll and dumped him unceremoniously on the ground. 

His eyes were clenched shut. He didn't want to try to see, just yet. More than anything, he wanted to feel. 

He was almost completely nude. That gave him the opportunity to feel the cloth of the sleeping bag wrapped around him. The cloth was of a softness that he'd almost forgotten, so much time had passed. It was a softness he vaguely recognized. Not a single piece of clothing he'd ever possessed had been this soft... 

**_Only... her... Tamin..._**

**_But... Tamin... you are not here..._**

**_Tamin... you are gone... as is Salatis... as is Abana... as is my home..._**

A tear dripped down his cheek. Slowly, but surely, it trickled down to his lips. 

He tasted the tear. 

**_Bitter. As I am._**

He did not succumb to the innate desire to open his eyes. He wasn't sure what he would see in this brave new world, nor was he sure that he wanted to see anything all that badly. 

He struggled for several moments to pull out of the soft, wraparound covering. He found himself feeling another layer of softness; something not quite as soft as the bag had been... rather itchy, as a matter of fact... but it was still better than some of the materials he had known before. 

He pushed against the material... gently at first – he didn't know how well his newfound muscles would work for him – and then progressively more firmly. He pushed and pushed, until he could push no further; then he began to pull, using the muscles in his back and his sense of balance to guide his way. 

He was now standing on his knees, swaying slightly as he gained more control over his body. There he remained for a few moments, tasting and smelling the air around him. He grimaced. **_Foul bitter dead_**

A hand reached out tentatively for purchase, and found it on his left side. It was the elevated place on which he'd been sleeping moments earlier. It was softer than any bed he'd ever known, and he was tempted to climb back onto it and lie there for an indeterminate period of time. 

But he knew that if he did that, he would succumb to sleep, and who knew when he would awaken again? 

So instead, he pushed at the soft platform and brought one leg up. He slowly, but surely, got to his feet, still with eyes closed, still buried in the darkness of sightless oblivion. 

His ears perceived several unfamiliar noises. A strange hum seemed to echo through the chamber, and it caused the floor to vibrate just slightly. Another hum of higher pitch was to the right side, and while it didn't shake the floor, it most certainly made him wonder what was causing it. 

And then his ears perceived a noise that was familiar, even after his long slumber. 

It was a scream. A scream of fright. Of terror. 

Instinctively, his eyes snapped open, and he was forced to survey this new world around him. 

A mixture of awe and terror struck him. This setting seemed strangely familiar, and yet so alien he wasn't sure if he could hope to identify anything here besides four walls, a floor, and a ceiling. The soft platform looked like a bed, but was too narrow to be one. The humming being made was coming from a pair of of 

The closest description he could think of was "container", two containers made of some alloy he couldn't identify. One was bright white, while the other was grayish and dark brown. The walls around him were white, and definitely were not of stone and mortar. The same could be said for the ceiling, which had a strange, transparent orb hanging from the center of it. It looked as though it were cut from crystal. 

**_I am in the home of a sorcerer?_**

In one of the walls was an opening to the outside. He approached it cautiously, seeing that there was more to this portal than simply an opening. There was some form of dirt hanging in the center of it. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was yet more crystal providing a barrier between this chamber and the outside world. Around it was a black border, the boundary of this particular object. 

**_Perhaps an illusion what should happen if I moved this barrier aside? Am I even able to?_**

He noted that there was some sort of mechanism on the right edge of the border; it appeared to be a handle. **_Perhaps this is meant to help move the barrier_** He placed his hand in it, and tentatively pulled at it. 

The barrier slid to the left, seemingly going inside the wall on the left side. He blinked. **_Fascinating_** He continued to pull, until the barrier would move no further. 

Beyond the barrier was exactly what he'd seen through it. There was more metal. It was a series of metal landings and ladders; there was a landing directly beyond the barrier. He stepped out onto the landing and surveyed it. He was reminded of the architect platforms of his day. **_Had they been made of metal, they would not have required such maintenance as they did but who would have such vast resources of metal?_**

He heard another scream. This one was louder; he surmised the last one had been muffled by the crystal barrier. He bristled, and his eyes darted about, ready to find whatever was threatening a peaceful night and fight it off. 

Ready to protect. 

That was his purpose. To protect. 

A girl was running through the alley between the building he was outside and another building opposite. The road she ran on was paved, which only served to further baffle him – why would there be a paved road between a pair of residential buildings? The only pavement he'd ever seen was the pavement to the palace, and from the look of this place, there seemed to be no palace at either end of this road. 

He tossed his confusion aside, though, when he saw that a young man was chasing after the girl, a clear look of mania on his face. 

He glared. He would seek justice against this young man who dared threaten a woman. 

He called out to the young man below and issued a challenge. 

-- 

As soon as she'd left her car to go into the complex's lobby, she'd spotted him pulling up directly behind her. Without hesitation, Monica had begun to run as fast as she possibly could, around the side of the building in the hopes of losing him – or at least finding someone who could help her. 

_I don't even care if it's McCraine anymore!_ she thought desperately. _Just someone, help!_ Her screaming reflected her fear, but it didn't form itself into any coherent words. It was just pure, terrified screaming. 

"Come back here!" he yelled. 

_No! I know what you'll do to me if I do!_ "Leave me alone!" she screamed. 

"Stop running, you bitch!" 

Then she heard a shout. Someone was yelling down at the both of them. But she couldn't understand whatever language that person was using. 

Yet it sounded clear to her that someone knew what was going on. Someone who might be able to block him, to help her, whatever... someone who would do _some_thing. She looked around wildly for the source of the shout. 

Her eyes landed on a nearly naked Kyle McCraine standing on a second-floor fire escape. All he seemed to be wearing was a pair of shorts and that weird necklace he'd taken to wearing a while back. 

But the pendant on the necklace was glowing. 

And so was his forehead. 

She hesitated for a split second. _What the hell–?!_ It was undoubtedly he who had yelled, she knew his voice well enough to realize that now, but whatever he'd said hadn't made any sense to her. And seeing glowing objects on his person wasn't helping her sanity much, either. 

_That must be it, I'm just going insane, nothing's really glowing, I'm just losing my mind because I'm scared. Get up there, Monica, ignore the glowing crap and just get up there, he'll help you out, he has to, he HAS to..._

She made for the fire escape ladder and leapt up it as quickly as she possibly could. Next thing she knew, she was standing right next to Kyle, and her pursuer hadn't slowed his pace, but was likewise ascending the ladder. 

She squeaked and looked around for another way to get away from him. She saw that Kyle had left the fire escape door open, and she bounded through it and searched for the bathroom. _If I can at least find a locking door without a window...!_

She emitted a yelp as her eyes landed on it, and she raced through the door and slammed it shut, locking it tightly behind her. Beyond the door she could hear muffled words. 

"Real cute light effects, dude. Now get out of my way. I said get out of my way, punk. Hey! The hell? Get your goddamn hands off me and get out of my way! Okay, you asked– _ooh! Kuh! Ugh!_" 

The clattering of metal struts being jostled. 

"_Aaaah!_" 

_CLANG-thump-bump-thu-thump-THUD_. 

"...unhhh..." 

More words from Kyle, in a tongue she didn't recognize. She wasn't even sure it was a language. _Insanity. Total and complete insanity. My mind must be distorting words, tuning everyone else out and focusing on him..._

-- 

Kyle blinked. And blinked again. _What the hell am I doing standing on the fire escape in my underwear–?!_ He grabbed his upper arms, shuddered with cold and embarrassment, and jumped back through the door and slammed it shut behind him. 

"Jesus," he muttered. _I must have been sleepwalking. Hope no one saw me. God, it's cold out there. I'm gonna need a CAT scan soon, I swear... but first I need to take a leak._

He made his way over to the bathroom, and frowned when he saw the door closed. _I never close the bathroom door. Don't think I'd do that even if I was sleepwalking._ When he reached the door, he grabbed the knob and tried to twist it – but it was securely locked. 

He heard heavy, labored breathing inside as soon as he tried to open the door, and his frown deepened. "Who's in there?" 

"McCraine?" 

His jaw dropped. "_Monica?_ What're you doing in my bathroom?" 

"I had to get away from him! I'm sorry I ever came here, but I had to keep him away!" 

Confusion contorted his features. "What? What're you talking about? You mean Xander?" 

"I heard you fighting... he's gone now, right?" 

"What?" 

"Xander, you brainless ass! Is he gone?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about. He's never been here." 

There was a moment of silence, and then the door opened a crack, revealing a slit of a suspicious eye. "What the hell are you driving at, McCraine? It sounded like you beat the crap out of him. Unless those were his fists all over _you_, and you don't look hurt to me. He was right there on the fire escape with you, or is your drug-doped memory too short-term to be of any help here?" 

"The fire escape...?" 

"_Yes, the goddamned fire escape!_" she yelled. "You're standing here, so unless you're going to go back on what precious little value you gained for yourself writing that stupid letter, he's not here anymore." 

"If he was here, I didn't see him. Monica, I'm serious, I honestly don't know what you're talking about." 

"You don't remember shouting down at him when he was chasing me down that alley?" 

His frown deepened further. "No..." 

"You don't remember me coming up that ladder? And him right after me?" 

"No..." 

She slammed the door shut again and locked it. "I knew it. You're on something. I'm not leaving this bathroom until you're asleep." 

"Then you're going to be there a pretty long time, because I'm not going to sleep with you in my bathroom. I have to pee." 

"Do it in the kitchen sink." 

"I don't have a kitchen." 

"Then go over the fire escape rail, for God's sake! Just leave me alone! Let me have some space!" 

"You want space in _my_ home? There's a first." Kyle scoffed. _Crazy woman... but I do have to go. Hope no one's watching._

As he was preparing to release, though, he took the opportunity to look through the alley, one way and the other. There seemed to be no evidence of anyone there. 

_What's she talking about? Fire escape. She said she came up it, and him right after. That would explain how she got into the bathroom. He was chasing her. Why?_ He snorted. _Probably don't have to think too hard on that one. But why did she even come here in the first place? And what does she mean, I beat the crap out of him? I'm not a good fighter; I'm much better at bullying. Standing toe-to-toe with someone, especially someone like Xander, I just don't do well._

_So what's going on here?_

And for once... the mysterious voice in his head remained silent. 

------- 

_Hm, I wonder where it went! How'd you like this chapter? Sorry to you duel enthusiasts, I'd nothing for you this time around, but fear not, there's PLENTY more dueling coming. Next up, Kyle's apartment: the morning after, and his preparation for summer courses at college. Also, Zack discovers his stalker knows a lot more than he can afford for her to know, forcing him to make a hard choice. Stay tuned!_


	22. Stalemate

_A/N: Herewith, Chapter 22. Hope everyone's enjoying. The flow of reviews is running thinner, but I'm going to take that to mean that people are just so engrossed with the story that they don't want to say anything that might prove to be wrong later on. Well, I'm okay with that, just so long as you're enjoying the story!_

_Wolf: I dunno, sounds to me almost like a stereotypical white trash couple. But we wouldn't know anything about those, would we?_

_Skraku: Yep, the scene's meant to be humorous. Also kinda scary, if you think about it, though. Neither Kyle nor Monica knows what happened; the only person who does is Xander, and after that evening, who's to say he'll go anywhere near Kyle?_

-------

When he was finished with his business outside, Kyle went back into the apartment, then shut, locked, and blinded the storm door behind him, and stared at the locked bathroom door. "Monica, it's safe here. You can come out now."

"Forget it, McCraine. With you around, no one's safe."

He crossed his arms. "Come on. What are you afraid of? There's no one in here but us."

"_That's_ what I'm afraid of."

"You've got nothing to fear from me."

"There's a first," she sniffed. "You've been out for my blood since the beginning."

Kyle sat down on his couch. "What are you yammering on about, now? _You_ were the one that hated _me_ first. I didn't have any issues with you. All I wanted was for you to leave me alone. You just couldn't do that, though. You had to keep picking on me and berating me for being outside your realm. Newsflash: there's a _lot_ out there that you're not willing to accept because you'd rather turn into a donut and stick your nose up your own rear end. _That's_ why I harbored contempt for you. _That's_ why I hated your guts. At least I had a reason for not liking you. What was your problem with me?"

"You're a complete asshole! It was obvious from the start. Nobody liked you. Why should I have been the one to break the chain? You didn't give anybody a reason to think you were anything but a self-absorbed freak. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, McCraine, if you hadn't noticed."

"So that's why you hate me? Not because of your own opinions, but because of everyone else's. I can't think of a more shallow reason. That sure sounds like the Monica Zocallos we've all come to know. But as for the self-absorbed freak bit, I'm glad we've finally found something in common."

"You bastard!" she screeched. "I hope you burn in hell!"

_BAM-BAM-BAM_. "Hey, McCraine, what's going on in there?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Nothing, Mr. Fitz."

"Sounds like something to me. It's been lights out for hours and you've got a screaming woman in there. What's going on?"

"It's a friend of mine, we're just having a lively late night discussion."

"Yeah, right. I hear another scream and I'm calling the cops. You got that?"

Kyle shot a look at the bathroom door, which was still closed and locked. A large shadow split the light that was seeping from under the door; he guessed Monica had sat down against it. _If you want the cops to come running to your rescue, Monica, now's the time to start screaming._

But no response came from beyond that door. Only silence.

Kyle finally answered, "Yes, we understand. Call the cops whenever you need to."

A long pause came before any more sound was made. Then, a grumble. "I'm keeping my eye on you, kid."

The man's footsteps were light but audible on the hardwood floor as he walked away.

Kyle sighed and slumped against his couch. "You had your chance, you know."

"I don't want anyone knowing about this. No way in hell I'm letting this get out. And if you say anything about it–"

"I told you once already, Monica," Kyle interrupted, "I don't care about your threats, and I don't intend to say anything about it anyway. So keep the inanities to yourself. If I wanted to say anything, I'd have done it by now."

"Doesn't matter. Whatever game you're playing, it's not going to work on me."

"You still don't get it, do you? You're ignoring my behavior because you want to keep your prejudice against me. That's a great shame. Because at least everyone else has paid attention. I'm not your enemy."

"As far as I'm concerned, you are."

He sighed. "Fine. Want to duel?"

"...What?"

"If we're enemies, then we should go into battle with each other. Physical fighting will get us arrested, and any more verbal fighting will have your little horror story with Xander going public, whether you want it to or not, and there's nothing I'll be able to do to keep it under wraps anymore. But we've got Duel Monsters in common. We both play that game. So if we're enemies and can't fight any other way without getting in trouble, we may as well duel. If nothing else, to pass the time."

Silence reigned for a few moments, and Kyle wondered if she even felt like dignifying his statement with a response. _Knowing her, probably not..._

"...You don't have the brains to beat me."

"Maybe not, but I certainly have the cards," he responded, a slight grin crossing his features. "I can hold you off just fine without needing to think too hard."

"You seriously think you can take me on in a duel? You've got to be out of your mind."

"Why? It's not like I've got anything better to do."

"Yeah, right. You've probably got a syringe around here somewhere."

Kyle scoffed. "Feel free to come out and look, y'know. You don't have to take my word for it that I don't. I'll show you every single corner of every single compartment in this apartment. I guarantee you I don't have anything. Will you _please_ be sensible for once in your life?"

"What's to be sensible about?"

"I could call the cops. I could tell everyone I know that you became Xander's bitch. I could show people that you're nothing but a coward who won't stand up for herself. And I could prove it with the letter you sent me. And I haven't done any of that. And I don't plan to."

"Yeah, right."

"It's true. Whether you want to believe it or not. I'm not keeping quiet about it so I can preserve your reputation and save myself a lot of trouble. I've already had a lot of trouble, and there really isn't all that much more you can give me. No, I'm keeping quiet about it because I know it'd be too much for you to handle. Whatever you may think of me, even though I might not like you, I respect you as a person. So have your space. Keep your stories. They're not mine to take and use."

"Glad you see that. Now leave me the hell alone."

"You haven't answered my question yet. Would you care to duel?"

"Forget it."

"Surely you're not scared of an amateur such as myself. Not with that Blue-Eyes–"

"_Stop_, McCraine. I don't want to duel you, and I don't want to talk to you."

"Then what do you want? You came this direction for a reason. What was it?"

A muffled _bang_ sounded against the door. "_Don't_ act like I'm _stupid_, McCraine! I know what you're playing at! You want to get in under my skin just so you can stab me in the back when I'm not paying attention!"

"Oh, please," Kyle scoffed. "Your mind works in very interesting ways, Monica. But once again, you refuse to answer my question because you're too busy with your own constructs. Wake up and smell the roses. I could call the cops on you and have them pull you out of that bathroom. Then you'd have to explain to _some_one why you're there."

"Still acting like you don't know. What I want to know is what happened out there, McCraine. One minute I heard Xander threatening you, the next minute I heard someone beating the hell out of him. Maybe I heard him falling down the fire escape ladder, too... yeah... that could be it..."

"I'm acting like I don't know because I _really don't know_. Get used to hearing that, because it's the truth." Kyle stood up and went over to his mini-fridge. "But if you don't know what happened, either, I guess we're in the same boat. And I don't think I'll ask him."

"You'd better not."

"Relax." He rolled his eyes and pulled out a soda. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Like what, spiked punch?"

"Actually, I've got a nice selection of water, milk, soda, tea, and coffee. I think I might even have some lemonade mix around here somewhere."

There was more silence, accompanied by, "You're serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. I've got all sorts of beverages here and it's going to take a long time to down them all. If you'd like some, you're welcome to have some, straight out of the fridge, unopened. There, see? No need to worry I'm trying to poison you or anything. And if you're going to stay awake, you'll need some caffeine, right? I've got caffeinated soda."

Yet more silence. Kyle sighed. "Monica, please. I'm not going to hurt you. If you're going to stay here, I may as well at least try to make you comfortable, even if you're an unwilling guest in my home. There's no reason for me to try and make you uncomfortable here."

Finally, an answer came. "What kind of soda?"

--

Two Weeks Later

--

Kyle found himself sitting alone and brooding a lot more during his off-time. It was healthy for his inspiration, but on the other hand, it didn't really get anything done, besides put a major crick in his back.

There was so little he could talk about, it seemed. The voice had disappeared inexplicably, and while he had at first rejoiced at its apparent absence, he now found himself almost missing it. He and Chubs had both made it to the third duelist tier. Zack still refused to participate in tournaments, or even friendly duels, and he'd taken a vacation last week reportedly to get his mind off "some things".

_"Some things" meaning Jade_. That, at least, Kyle could talk about with Chubs. The stout sophomore still seemed to think there might be a way for Kyle to foster friendship with Jade, but neither of them had seen her once since that day in the park.

Meanwhile, Kyle had taken to registering himself for summer courses at Trent University, a small college in southeastern Oregon. It allowed for a major in English (including many other majors – it had a wide range of studies for such a small school), and had several excellent writing courses. The summer classes started at the end of June and ran through July and half of August.

_Yep. I'm actually doing this. Unbelievable._

Chubs, of course, had protested Kyle's decision to move all the way out to the northwestern edge of the States. To this, Kyle had simply shrugged and responded, "It's better than California. I can at least afford to live in Oregon. To them, a dollar means something; in Sacramento they hurl around a million dollars like pocket change every day."

Chubs mumbled something about great exaggeration in response, but otherwise said nothing to continue arguing the point. Kyle had made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with this town anymore, and frankly, escaping the state of Indiana altogether wasn't a bad thing either – not because of the overall population, but because of two particular members of that population who still rode on his mind every once in a while.

What most surprised him was that after that night, Monica left Kyle alone. She didn't say a single word to him, didn't leave any notes for him to find, didn't make trouble for him... nothing. They'd shared a soda and a pseudo-conversation, but that had been it. They hadn't become best friends overnight and he wouldn't have expected that anyway.

He was just as glad, though, that the petty enmity had ended, if not the enmity in itself.

_High school's almost over. Time to move on to bigger and better things._

But something was still missing. When Monica and Kyle had arrived at school the next day, they'd both noted that Xander had several cuts and bruises visible during P.E. Xander actively avoided Monica in the hallways of the school and made an even greater show of avoiding Kyle.

What had happened that night?

And where had the voice gone?

--

Zack glanced at his watch, then the clock up on the opposite wall, and heaved a sigh. There hadn't been much business today, and for that he felt rather thankful. It had given him time for him to deal with his own thoughts. He'd put some of his own money into the cash register to buy a couple of the gaming magazines that had come in today; in fact, he'd probably put more money into the register than all of the customers he'd dealt with today combined.

He got to his feet and pulled his store keys out, grateful to finally be closing up and going home. But just as he approached the door, it swung open and revealed the absolute last person he'd wanted to see today. He grimaced instinctively.

She strolled into the shop breezily and threw a careless glance up at the clock before commenting, "You know, some businesses have rules against closing up shop before closing time. Which means I have precisely..." – she checked again – "...four minutes of your time. Why the sour face, my friend?"

"Life just threw me a lemon," he responded wryly, "and I don't much feel like making lemonade right now." He stepped back behind the counter and leaned over it in a businesslike manner. "Something I can do for you?"  
"As a matter of fact, yes there is, Zack. But I'd rather we dispense with the pointless pleasantries, so if you don't mind...?"

At this, he bristled slightly and fixed her with a cold stare. "Fine, then let's get down to it. What do you want?"

"Your Labyrinth Brother. Sanga. And I'm willing to pay in either cards or cash, whichever your preference runs to," she said. Her sentences were precise, as though she'd planned them out ahead of time.  
He tried to suppress a shudder. Chills ran up and down his spine. "How do you know I have that card?"

Her eyes glittered. "Maybe a little birdie told me."

"Must have been one hell of a mockingbird." He tried to present a casual front, and leaned back, crossing his arms. "Sanga's rather valuable to me, in more ways than one. I'm a card supplier, so as far as I'm concerned, you don't have anything worth offering me in that department. And I've already got the cash I need to make a rather comfortable living for myself."

He sat down on the stool. "I do have plenty of contacts in my department, though, and I'm more than willing to help you look for another one. There's more than just the one I happen to have."

"Actually, Zack, I'm rather set on this one. You're also a collector... name a card. Any card. I'll bring it to you."

A pained expression passed over his features, and his head shook slowly. "I can't place a value on Sanga like that. No, plain and simple."

"'No' is a word I don't care to hear. How about this, then, if you're hung up over parting with it for money: a duel. Any point system you want, I'll agree to. Winner gets Sanga."

He frowned. "What's the point of dueling over a card I already have rights to? What would I get for winning?"

"You're not being very helpful, Zack."

"And you're not being very accommodating, either. You can't expect me to take a challenge seriously without putting something of your own on the line. You want Sanga so badly, you'll have to prove you've already got something that's just as worth it... otherwise, don't challenge me like that."

"I can challenge any way I want. But all right, I can see your point. What if I said I had something of similar value, all yours if you won?" She lifted the cover of one of the magazines lined neatly on the counter, not watching him. "Look at that. The next booster line's been moved up by a month. Going to be a big seller, then."

"I already know about your Kazejin. But I wouldn't accept the challenge even if you offered a Blue-Eyes White Dragon as your prize."

Her smile widened, although it was not intended as a friendly expression. "How ironic you should mention a Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"What about it?"

"Well, anyone who knows anything about this game knows that the Blue-Eyes White Dragons belong to Seto Kaiba in Japan, right? And seeing as how they were _stolen,_ well... I'd imagine he's furious, and he's just one of those people it's not smart to piss off. And I'm just picturing what he could possibly _do_, learning that one of his precious Blue-Eyes turned up _here_. Personally, I'd be _enraged_. Wouldn't you?" Her tone made it clear that he didn't need to answer. "And honestly, I just respect the amount of _influence_ he carries, even over here. Enough, I'd think, to maybe punish anyone involved, make sure it never happened again." She tilted her head. "I hear he's got a ruthless temper, too."

Another set of shivers ran across his spine. "That's what I hear, too. Are you presuming to threaten me with that temper?"

"You insult me," she said silkily. "How could I possibly take responsibility for Seto Kaiba's temper, much less any resulting actions?"

"You can take responsibility for telling him, however misguided your information may be, that a Blue-Eyes even showed up here in the first place. And what he'd do afterward would be a direct result of that information. You _can_ take responsibility for _that_." He set his expression. "Question is... will you?"

"I very rarely, if ever, have misguided information, Zack. But if it'll ease your conscience, keep repeating it to yourself. The fact remains that a Blue-Eyes showed up in your shop, and it's almost guaranteed that Seto Kaiba will hear about it eventually. Even if I did tell him, I'd only be helping along the process. But if I didn't have to dedicate myself to getting Sanga, I could turn my attention to other things... like making your new popularity problem go away."

His jaw worked this way and that. "You... are quite mad."

"Insanity makes perfect sense to the insane, my friend."

"And to the rest of us, it's sickening. You'd seriously try to wreck me all over one card?"

She picked up the magazine she had commented on earlier and put a ten dollar bill on the counter. "Actually, I think I'll take this one after all. I seem to have taken up all your time. Go home, it's closing time! Don't worry about the sign, I'll flip it on the way out."

"I could tear it up, you know," he said, unwilling to let the conversation go. "And I can endure Kaiba's wrath. What would you do then?"

Halfway through the door, she paused, settling her green eyes on him again. "That, _my friend_, is what is known as an empty threat. Maybe you should take tomorrow off... you're looking a little pale."

His mind began racing for a solution even before she'd finished talking. _Take tomorrow off. Yeah, I can do that. She'll come in the next day looking for an answer, though, and I'll still have to deal with it._

_ Unless..._

_ Unless I don't have it._

He shook his head. _I can't tear it up. She's right. It's too valuable for that. I'd sooner see it in someone else's hands than in pieces. Just not hers._

_ Maybe that's what I should do. Just let go of it. Let someone else have it. Someone who'll take care of it. Give it the respect it deserves._

_ Which means that person has to be a duelist. That narrows the field by a pretty wide margin. I know plenty of duelists, but only a few of them give their cards respect, and even fewer give the respect those cards deserve._

_ And whoever it is has to be able to stand up to her. She's got too much on me, I can't do it. Whoever it is, they have to be able to say "no"._

A face suddenly popped into his mind. One he likely would never have considered to receive his Sanga of the Thunder card... but given the extreme circumstances...

He went over to the door and poked his head outside, looking this way and that for a moment before locking it. He turned the light out, then went back to the counter, picked up the phone, and began dialing.

Scant moments later... _"Hello?"_

"Kyle... we need to talk."

-------

_About what, you ask? Find out next chapter! And don't be shy about reviewing; I do love to hear your opinions. Stay tuned!_


	23. Omens

_A/N: Herewith, chapter 23._

_Skraku: Probably call. Or use the Internet. Hmm. I wonder who this reminds me of? *wink*_

_Wolf: You'll see soon enough what Kaiba has in mind with Monica. As for Zack and Kyle... keep reading and you'll find out what's going on there.___

_Lumen: Your premonition may yet prove wrong, my friend. Keep a lookout. Meanwhile, with the Oregon thing, you'll see how that works out, I'm sure... Provided you have some stick-to-it-ive-ness in you! And from what I've seen, you do. Kudos for keeping up!_

------- 

Kyle blinked at the sound of Zack's voice in his ear. Zack didn't have a habit of calling him up; generally they met each other at the game store and then went from there. Otherwise, he just dropped by Kyle's place. So this was a rare occasion, indeed. And the tone of Zack's voice gave him a bad feeling. 

_Come to think of it, just him calling me isn't always a good thing..._ "About what?" he asked. 

_"Not over the phone. I need to come over to your place, just checking to make sure it's okay. No one's there, right?"_

Kyle could almost have laughed out loud, were it not for the deadly seriousness in Zack's tone. "Yeah, no one's here. What, is Big Brother watching?" 

_"Something like that. I'll be over in a few minutes."_

Kyle blinked again as the other end _click_ed. He raised an eyebrow. _Not even so much as a "bye"? Jeez. What's up with you today?_

-- 

A single knock alerted Kyle to Zack's presence beyond the door. When he opened it, the older man looked slightly pale... maybe even sick. 

Kyle frowned. "What's the matter with you? Need a bucket?" 

Zack didn't respond, but instead made his way into the apartment. He moved over to the couch and sat down, then looked at Kyle and patiently waited for him to close the door. Kyle did so, then went to his computer chair and sat down. "Something's wrong. Out with it before I boot you and let you deal with it on your own." 

"Gimme a minute, damn it," Zack suddenly snapped, surprising Kyle into silence. He took a deep breath, exhaled, then took another deep breath. "Okay. She's now actively chasing after my Sanga." 

"Aha." Kyle knew who Zack was referring to. "From what you told me, she's already been doing that." 

"This is different. She used to be following me around everywhere, now she's actually going after me. That's why I didn't want to talk about this over the phone. I know it seems paranoid, but at this point, the apparent paranoia is because of a genuine cause. She dropped by the store today." 

"And?" 

"She offered me cash and cards as barter. I didn't want either one. Sanga's too important to me to put a price on like that. I don't know if you can understand that yet, since your deck's always fluctuating with its theme. Someday, though, you will." 

"Like Chubs with his Tyrant Dragon?" 

Zack nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good analogy." 

"So what then?" 

"She challenged me to a duel. I refused again, because she wanted my ante to be Sanga. She said in not so many words that she'd put her Kazejin up as her ante, although at first she didn't want to put _any_thing up... just duel over Sanga's ownership." Zack scowled. 

"Sounds like a good deal to me. Two Labyrinth Brothers in your deck." 

"It would be, but I don't like the thought of losing Sanga." 

Kyle chewed the inside of his cheek. "Well, she's certainly not going to duel you for nothing. She wants that card from you, that's obvious. I doubt if it's a personal vendetta." 

Zack blew out a breath. "She pretty much guaranteed she would make it personal if she felt she had to." 

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "What?" 

"She implied that if I didn't start cooperating with her, she'd let Kaiba know that one of the Blue-Eyes cards showed up at the store." 

That brought a stare from Kyle. "Kaiba's well-known for his temper. He may be a spoiled brat, but he knows how to come down on people. Didn't he bankrupt people to get hold of the Blue-Eyes cards?" 

"Yeah, someone even committed suicide after he took theirs. That's what I heard, anyway. So you can imagine how well I took that news." 

"Not very well at all, I'd guess, or else you wouldn't be looking as sick as you look right now." 

"Got that right." Zack glowered at the floor. "Kaiba's going to hear about it sooner or later. But I'd just as soon not be the one he takes his revenge out on. I hear he's creative." 

"You had nothing to do with the presence of a Blue-Eyes in your store." 

"I didn't do anything about it. That'll be what the focus is on." He leaned back into the couch. "She's got way too much to hold over me. I'm not going to duel her, and I'm not going to trade away my favorite card just so it can become another collectible." 

"Then you've got a problem." 

"No. Not really. I don't want _her_ to have Sanga. But that doesn't mean I'm averse to seeing someone else take it." 

Kyle raised his eyebrow again. "Even considering it's your favorite card?" 

"As long as the person who gets it treats it with the respect it deserves and uses it wisely. It's not just a possession or a tool. It's not expendable. Not when it comes to this game." Zack regarded Kyle with a sincere gaze. 

"I'll bet she realizes that," Kyle said. 

"What she realizes, as far as I've seen, is the value of having a card like that in her deck. And when she looks at its owner, I think she sees someone she can get to, given enough time and inspiration. Someone who harbors respect but not courage. That may very well be true. So it's pretty simple, the way I see it. Sanga needs a new owner." 

Kyle contemplated this. "Hm. Okay. And have you picked out this prospective owner?" 

Zack nodded. "Yeah, I have. It's you." 

At this, Kyle's eyes widened in shock. "What?" 

The older man nodded once more. "You, Kyle. I want you to have Sanga of the Thunder." He held up a finger. "But. There's a condition." 

Kyle tried to calm himself down, but his eyes were still bugging out at the prospects of this revelation. "Name it." 

"You have to defeat me in a duel. Only then will I know your true eligibility." 

"You want me to duel you?" 

Zack nodded. "I'll give you Sanga if you win. But if _I_ win, you don't get another shot, and I'll find someone else I trust to get it." 

"What do I have to give you if you win? If you didn't want Jade dueling without her own stakes, what makes you want to duel me without making me put up a stake of my own?" 

Zack smirked. "Money for an extended vacation to Tahiti." 

"Sounds harsh," Kyle chuckled. "But I guess I'm looking at a pretty sizeable cut from my savings, so yeah, I guess it would be." 

"If I were to put a price on Sanga, it'd be much greater than a single vacation to an island paradise, I'll tell you that." There was a glint in Zack's eye as he spoke. "So, what do you say, Kyle? Do you accept my challenge?" 

-- 

"You did _what?_" 

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. I said yes. Stupid of me, wasn't it?" 

"Got that right. You can barely beat _me_." Chubs' expression was one of disbelief. "What chance have you got against him?" 

"Slim to none, if I don't charge up my deck really, really soon with some good cards. And even then, there's only a small chance. If he pulls out Sanga during the duel, there's no way I'm going to win. Its effect makes it one of the ultimate cards to have, that's why Jade's after it." 

Chubs frowned. "Even if you win, that means Jade will start chasing after you for Sanga. Look at how she's got Zack running scared. What kind of victory is that?" 

"He thinks I can handle her." Kyle grinned. "Look at you, all worried about what Jade will threaten to do to me. Weren't you the one thinking I could develop some sort of rapport with her?" 

"After hearing about what she's willing to do to nab that card, I'm starting to think she idolizes Kaiba. And that's not a compliment." 

Kyle scoffed. "Well, too late to go back now. He challenged me and I accepted. We're dueling Saturday night, over in Decatur they opened up a holographic dueling arena there recently. Zack and I already reserved the arena and chipped in the money needed to occupy it for an hour's time. I've got two days to get my deck and myself ready for this little shindig, and there's Zack, waving around a monster with an attack power of 2600. Most powerful monster I own is Summoned Skull, and that's only got 2500..." 

Chubs rolled his eyes. "Man, if you need some help with deck-building, I'm more than willing." 

Kyle offered a small smile. "Thanks, but I think this is something I've got to do on my own. I'll buy some booster packs and see what I can come up with. I'm a second tier duelist, that's got to count for something." 

"Yeah, it says you're two tiers below Zack's deck level. Get some kick-ass cards if you want to have a shot at that monster. And stop depending on single cards to help you through. Find combos and _use them_." 

Kyle snorted. "Thanks for the support." 

"I do my best." Chubs got up from the couch and gave a glance to the clock, then the window. "It's pitch-black out there. I hear a storm's coming, that's probably it out there. Plus it's late. I need to be getting home. I'll talk to you tomorrow, all right?" 

"Yeah, sure." 

-- 

Kyle settled himself on the couch and wrapped up in his sleeping bag. He wondered if he'd be able to get to sleep tonight, considering how worried he felt over this sudden opportunity to gain even more experience and prestige in the world of Duel Monsters. 

**_...duel..._**

He blinked in surprise. _You're back!_

**_...duel... contest..._**

_...and with the requisite cryptic and ultimately useless words. Yeah, I've got a duel coming up. Big one. The monsters are supposed to look realistic in this one._

**_...monsters... real... danger..._**

_Yeah, there could be danger involved. Danger for my wallet, at most, though. And I'm worried about what might happen, either way._

**_...concern..._**

_Yeah. Major concern._ He turned over in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, trying to get comfortable. 

**_...sleeping...dreaming..._**

Kyle nodded. _Yeah, I hear you, buddy. Definitely time for that._

He rolled over on his side, face to the back of the couch, popped his neck, and closed his eyes. 

_I need a good dream right about now. What have you got for me, bud? What can you tell me that will put me to sleep?_

**_...darkness...shadows...time gone...nobody...nobody..._**

A strange sensation washed over Kyle at that moment, as he stood on the horizon that separated the waking world and the dream world. He suddenly felt disconnected from his body, and he knew that his body had lost all sensation. That was normal for the brain when entering sleep stages. 

But Kyle was still aware. 

He might have been falling asleep, but he was still aware. 

If he'd had control of his eyelids, he would have blinked in surprise. He had never felt fully aware while falling asleep before. It was quickly becoming an unpleasant thing for him, too, as one by one, his senses deactivated, leaving him in a silent void. 

He tried to wrench himself back to wakefulness, but it was as if something was tugging at him... something that was holding on to him, pulling him further into the depths of sleep. 

He tried to kick at it with an ethereal foot. _What the...? Let go! Let go of me! Let me go back!_

**_...somebody...?_**

He gasped as he felt himself fall. 

_Oh god, someone help me..._

**_...somebody...?_**

-- 

Kyle groaned and clenched his eyelids. His back had a slight pain in the middle of it _I can feel again!_ and his limbs felt like jelly. 

A bright light was burning against his eyelids. He felt hot, almost unbearably hot. _Daytime? No air conditioning? Jeez... how long have I been sleeping?_

He shifted his limbs around, expecting to feel couch cushions beneath them. What he got, however, was completely different. 

His fingers slipped beneath hot sand. 

His eyes snapped open, only to be almost blinded by the glaring sunlight. He quickly rolled to one side and blinked several times, trying to regain his sight. 

He found himself facing a dune of sand. 

Kyle reached up and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he should really believe what he was seeing. _...still dreaming?_

But some of the sand on his hands rubbed off on his face as he wiped at his eyes, leaving the gritty sensation that only sand could leave. 

_No way. There is no way this is real... I've got to be dreaming. I may be able to see all this, feel all this, and it may seem real, but it just can't be..._

Kyle struggled to his feet. He felt off-balance, and he wobbled for several moments, trying to get used to the slight sinking feeling he encountered in the process of finding his footing on the slippery terrain. 

That was when he noticed that he was wearing clothing. He had a black T-shirt and a pair of dark shorts on. Curiously, his tattoos were nowhere to be found. He also could see clearly, despite his usual need for glasses or contacts... and his eyelids told him he wasn't wearing the latter. 

_That clinches it. This must be a dream. My vision isn't that great, I know for a fact I fell asleep wearing nothing but underwear, and I haven't removed any of the tattoos from my left arm yet._

Everywhere he could see, there was nothing but sand. There were rolling hills of it, obscuring his visual access to anything that might be "out there" besides the sand. 

"Okay," he said aloud. "This is nuts. And hot. I want out." 

So he slapped himself. Hard. 

His reward was a sharp sting and a red mark on his cheek. 

He looked around. 

"I'm still here," he remarked. 

He slapped himself again. And again, he got nothing but more stinging in his right cheek... and his right palm was now stinging, as well. 

"Ow," he mumbled. "Okay, if that's not gonna work..." 

He took a deep breath, relaxed his abdominal muscles... 

And punched himself in the stomach. 

"_Oh!_" he gasped, keeling over under the force of his own blow. He dropped to his knees and bent over double, wheezing hard for several seconds. 

Kyle clutched at his stomach and fell on his side coughing. "Ohh... that wasn't smart..." 

He threw up. And continued to throw up for several seconds, until his stomach couldn't expel anything else. 

He clenched his eyes shut and shuffled away from the disgusting pile. "Gross. Note to self: never ever do that again." 

He softly groaned for another minute or so, trying to recover and release his pain. 

_All right... So hurting myself isn't going to wake me up... But you'd think that me puking all over the place would do it where slapping myself wouldn't. Yet I'm still here, in the middle of this blasted desert._

He got back up and looked around. _Don't recognize where I am, but the only other place I've ever been where it was this hot and barren was..._

_Was Egypt._

Kyle blinked. _I couldn't actually be in Egypt, could I? What would I even be doing here? Nightmare, maybe?_

He took a few steps, not really sure of where he was going. _Who am I kidding? I'm hopelessly lost._

**_...hopeless..._**

The voice seemed to roll across the sky and the sand. It stretched from one horizon to the other, and Kyle couldn't help but be the least bit unnerved by it. _What did you do to me? This is your doing, isn't it?_

**_...hopeless..._**

Kyle glared at the sky. _Why won't you let me out of here? What is it that I did to you?_

**_...somebody...?_**

Kyle sighed and continued to walk. _I guess it's the only way I'm ever going to get anywhere, here._ He moved quickly, but not hastily; there was no point in sweating himself out, not even in a dream. 

He made his way up a rise in the sand; he was halfway to the top when the sand gave out under him. He tumbled back down to the dune. 

He growled aloud. "I'm gonna get up there," he declared, and with that, he pushed his way back up the slope. 

This time, he didn't even get half as high as before. He rolled back down the ridge and fell on his face. 

_Okay, goal-setting._ Kyle got back to his feet and gave himself a running start. He charged up the hill with all his strength. 

A feeling of exhilaration filled him up as he got higher than halfway. _I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it!_

He fell back down to the plateau again. 

He sighed. "Oy. Up we go." 

Again and again, he ran up the ridge; again and again, he had no success, always falling short of the top. He looked around. _Wish there were some natives around, to watch and laugh at my expense. Then, at least, there would be someone else here!_

For lack of anything better to do, Kyle ran up the ridge again and again. To continue in this direction, crossing the ridge was his only option; it stretched endlessly to either side. Each time he raced up, he fell back down, and he began to count the times he'd done this. 

"Five... Ehh... Six... Gr. Seven..." 

After his fifteenth attempt landed him in the sand of the plateau, he took to moving more carefully up the slope. He became less of a sprinter and more of a mountain climber; carefully placing his hands, his feet, his weight... focusing every iota of attention and concentration he possessed on the slope. 

_Here... then here... then here..._

At a few points, Kyle stopped to find himself a secure handhold by digging into the side of the slope until he found sand that was the slightest bit moist and packed. He would carefully insert his fingers into the packed sand, never too quickly, until he had what he felt was a secure hold. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, he pulled himself an inch, two inches, higher and higher until his hold had outlived its usefulness. He would scrape away at the sand with his toes in much the same manner. 

And at long last, he edged over the top of the ridge. 

Exhilaration jolted throughout his body, but he still had yet to get his entire body over the ledge. He kept his mind occupied with this task for several more minutes; that sand was the worst to try to navigate (being the topmost sand, it was the driest and grainiest of the slope), and after all his hard work, he didn't much feel like falling back down. 

He didn't throw his legs over the ledge; that would have invited his body to take the tumble. If anything, he crept even more slowly over the ledge in trying to get his legs across. 

_This isn't a contest_, he thought to himself. _It's just a dream. Weird one, granted, but a dream, nonetheless. And that means I can do as I choose, and if I choose to climb over a ledge of sand, nothing's gonna stop me. Nope, nothing at all._

When his feet crept across the threshold, exhilaration again burst through him, and he looked up from the dune at the unexplored territory beyond the ledge. 

And he gasped. 

What lay far below him was a city, a magnificent city that sprawled almost as far as the eye could see. Row after row of modest homes lined row after row of well-trod paths. Off in the distance, a massive structure which could only be conceived of as a palace loomed over the land like some juggernaut over a swarm of ants. Statues, unlit torch bearings, and a regiment of guards lined the palace; there was no doubt that the place was an impregnable fortress. 

The palace stood at the edge of a river, undoubtedly the Nile, and lush green foliage lined the river, separating it from the muddy grounds where servants worked. 

Kyle found it difficult to breathe upon the sight of something so majestic. He tried to push himself up to get a better view of what was below him 

The sand crumbled, and he toppled forward, over the ledge, over the cliffside. 

He shouted and flailed, but there was nothing he could do to stop his tumbling. He fell down a steep slope, rolling and wheeling head-over-heels, and he couldn't concentrate, couldn't breathe, couldn't think 

He dropped into an endless white expanse, as if he were falling into the afterlife. 

And the knowledge flooded into him with the power of a river loosed from a shattered dam. 

He saw everything. 

_A great pharaoh... a general... a soldier... a mage... the court... Millennium items... Millennium Shield..._

Everything streaked into him faster than he could process it. It was all he could do to even remain aware as the knowledge continued to flow... 

A face loomed in front of him, a tan face with features that could only have come from an Egyptian bloodline... 

Kyle tried to open his mouth to shout, but no sound would come out 

He bolted upright on his couch and let loose a scream. 

He looked around, at first with unseeing eyes. He didn't find this encouraging; he was already panicked, and it didn't do at all to not be able to see where he was. But his body told him that he was back in his sleeping bag, back on his couch, back in his apartment. 

He blinked several times, allowing his eyes time to get used to the lack of light. _No light... means it's still night... how long was I asleep?_

**_You have not slept long._**

Kyle jumped at the sound of the voice. It wasn't a weak, distant whisper in the back of his mind; it was strong and firm and concrete... a definite presence within him, not just a fragment of some sort of mental illness. 

**_"Mental illness"? If, by this, you mean madness, no. You are not mad._**

Kyle blinked. The voice was responding to him now? 

**_I have always responded to you. I simply could not do so in the way I wished to._**

Kyle's breath was shallow. "Who are you?" he asked aloud. 

**_You know who I am. You have seen me. You have heard my name. You carry my soul about your neck._**

He found his left hand clasped around the pendant adorning his necklace. The shield-shaped pendant he'd brought back from Egypt. 

Yes, he knew this voice's name. He _knew_. 

"Theoris. Your name is Theoris." 

------- 

_Does the name ring a bell? For those who read **Shielded Destiny**, it should! If you haven't read it before, I suggest you read it now! You'll just get confused otherwise. Next up, Kyle and Theoris get acquainted, and Kyle prepares for his clash with a titan. Stay tuned!_


	24. Twining

_A/N: And here's chapter 24! A tad bit late, but worth it, I hope._

_Wolf: May the worthier duelist win, indeed. Somehow I doubt Theoris would be much help at this point. Maybe later, though._

_Lumen: For clarification, it didn't "officially" happen that Theoris replaced Khensthoth in the shield. I meant for that to be the subliminal message you come away from that story with._

_Penny: Aww! Arigatou, imoutouchan! (Being a beta can be fun... but you're hard-pressed when it comes time to offer an official review!)_

_Skraku: Think this might get you to loosen the noose just a tiny bit? Other people like this story too, y'know... it might not do you well to kill me before I can produce it all!_

_Wolfwings: You went through a full half of the story in order to give me an informed review? I feel special! That's admirable, considering the length of the story thus far... and I've yet to get to any of what I think to be the real action! I hope you'll keep reading meantime._

-- 

**_Yes. I am Theoris. And you are Kyle. Kyle McCraine._**

Kyle stared, though at what, he wasn't sure. "How do you know that?" 

**_I know much of you, Kyle McCraine. I have been with you since the day you took the Millennium Shield from its place in that cave. By your current notion of time, it has been "months" – I believe that is the correct term?_**

His jaw hung slack, and he wordlessly nodded. 

**_Since you apparently consider this our first "true" meeting, I must begin by apologizing. I am aware that being dragged to the dream world was not a pleasant experience for you. However, it was the only way I could show you what I wished to show you._**

"I... I'm not quite sure what part you wanted me to focus on." Kyle clutched his head. "There's so much!" 

_Bang-bang-bang._ "Hey, McCraine, you all right in there? I thought I heard a scream." 

Kyle looked at the door. "No, it's okay, Mr. Fitz," he said instinctively. "I just had a nightmare, that's all. I'm okay." 

"You don't got anyone else in there with you, do you? Like that girl from a while back?" 

"No, Mr. Fitz, nobody else." 

"Then who're you talking to in there?" 

Kyle's inhaled sharply. _Damn it, he heard me talking... what do I say to that?_

_**Many people talk to themselves, or so I am led to believe. Even in my own time, we spoke to ourselves for the purpose of reassurance.**_

Kyle frowned. _You're listening to my thoughts?_

_**Of course. I have been since you took the shield. You do not need to speak aloud to speak with me.**_

He blew out his breath, then said, "Was I talking? Must've been sleeptalking. Sorry." 

"...Okay. But try not to have too many of those screamers, huh? Other people are trying to sleep." Mr. Fitz tromped away. 

Kyle put his hands over his eyes and slumped back onto the couch. _Are you sure you're not just some figment of my imagination? Some kind of insanity trip from everything that happened in Egypt?_

_**I am reasonably certain of this.**_ Theoris' mental voice sounded almost amused. **_I know this is difficult for you to believe, but what is happening to you now is quite real. I am not a figment of your imagination. I am not a hallucination brought on by insanity, or withdrawal from narcotics. Yet you knew the latter already._**

_Fine. Then what's this "danger" you've been spouting about for so long?_

_**I am afraid that you are much like the members of the Egyptian court after our pharaoh was lost. Even if I told you, you are not liable to believe me, and you would again attempt to attribute me to insanity and return to counseling. Or worse, throw away the shield.**_

Kyle shook his head. "No way," he declared aloud. _Whatever else it is, the shield's a good luck charm._

_**I find it strange how you regard such an item as the Millennium Shield as a mere "good luck charm". It is an item of great and terrible power. That you have come across it is more than "luck", as you would define it. For myself, it is providence that you found it and not the man who charged you to find valuables in the cave.**_

_Rieger. Thanks for reminding me of him._ Kyle frowned. _Why are you here? Assuming everything you showed me is true... why are you here?_

_**I am here because I must be. There is no other explanation I can give you. Obviously I still have a part to play in this day and age.**_

_What kind of part?_

_**I cannot say.**_

_You seem to think, even after showing me everything you know, that I wouldn't believe you if you told me any more. And while it may be true that I think I'm still dreaming... I want to know what you're talking about. You've been harping on and on about "danger" for months, and now that you can finally articulate to me, you won't tell me? What more is there that I need to know that you haven't shown me?_

A mental sigh rang through Kyle's mind. **_It is because of your inability to believe that this conversation is real that I do not speak of it. Rest now, Kyle. I shall remain silent and keep watch. When you awaken, we will speak again._**

"No, dammit. I want to talk about this _now_," Kyle muttered. 

**_What good would speaking of it now do you? You have other things that occupy your attention. The danger is present, though not immediate. I shall speak of it with you tomorrow._**

"Hey. Don't go away on me, now. I've still got stuff I want to talk to you about." 

**_Such as?_**

_This may sound awkward, but... it was you on the fire escape, wasn't it? You took control of me, somehow, and you got up and went out on the fire escape._

_**Past the crystal barrier, yes.**_

__Kyle could help but chuckle. _That's called a window. It lets us see through it while protecting us from the cold. Jeez, you really ARE from older times, aren't you?_

_**Does this help you believe?**_

_Maybe. What did you do? I've been trying to figure it out ever since that night. Monica won't tell me and I'm clueless._

_**The boy you know as "Xander" was chasing her and threatening her. I heard her screaming outside and went outside to investigate. I saw them running between the buildings and called out a challenge to him because he dared threaten a woman. She looked up and saw me standing there, and came up the metal bars.**_

_Ladder,_ Kyle corrected. _That's a ladder. But continue._

**_It became apparent that he was not content to let her get away from him, for he chased her up the bars – ladder, I beg your pardon – as well. However, I did not wish for him to continue chasing her, and certainly not into your home. So I chose to stop him._**

_What did you do? Did you beat him up?_

**_In your terms, yes, I did. I was a soldier, Kyle. It was my duty to protect the people. He threatened one of the people, one of YOUR people. This, I could not allow. I apologize for taking control of your body without your permission, and I assure you I will no longer do so. I know it is not mine to use._**

_It's... it's okay, I guess. I just wanted to know what happened; it's been a mystery to me for weeks._

**_Very well. Now your mystery is solved. I beseech you, sleep. You are in great need of it for the coming battle._**

Kyle frowned. _You mean the duel?_

_**Yes. I will speak no more. Rest now.**_

He blinked several times as the last traces of Theoris' voice vanished from his mind. 

_Well... what else CAN I do at this point?_

He laid down and tried to sleep. 

It was far from easy. 

-- 

His eyes rolled to one side and then the other before finally opening, to see that dawn had come. 

_Was it a dream?_

_**No.**_

Kyle nearly jumped at the "sound" of Theoris' voice. "Jeez."_ I'm gonna have to get used to that, aren't I?_

_**Most likely you shall. Am I troubling you?**_

_I don't know how it was in your day, but in mine, hearing voices isn't a good sign._

**_This also was a sign of madness in my time. Should you prefer, then, not to tell others of me?_**

_It's tempting to say at least SOMEthing to somebody. But yeah, I think I'd rather keep you a secret, for now._ He sat upright and hunched over his knees. _So. You're a soldier from ancient Egypt. Your general was Khensthoth, and he was the original owner of the Millennium Shield. Right?_

_**Close enough, I think. I do not know what word would most accurately describe Khensthoth's... possession... of the shield. Perhaps "bearer" is more precise. The Pharaoh bestowed the shield upon Khensthoth. When Khensthoth died, it passed to me.**_

_Do you have any idea how much time has elapsed since your death?_

**_None. I have slept most of these "years", as you call them. I was awakened only by the presence of people in the cave. That is when you came. You took up the shield, and brought it with you._**

_How is it able to change its size? That's a nifty little trick, right there._

_**I am afraid this is one of the secrets of the shield I have yet to comprehend. A shield, by nature, must be large to be of use. Why it is able to become so inconspicuous is beyond me.**_

_Then you also have no idea how to make it big again._

_**Indeed. You have my apologies.**_

He nearly laughed. _No need to apologize. I was just wondering._

_**Do you wish to enlarge it?**_

_What use would that be?_

_**I know not, in this day and age, besides displaying a large golden shield instead of a small one. The time might come, however, that it should need to be enlarged.**_

_You make all this sound too fantastic to be true._

_**Nothing is impossible, Kyle. Not even in this day and age. Some things may have been forgotten, but they still exist.**_

_Like the magicians._ Kyle smirked grimly. _Right?_

_**...You dreamt of them last night.**_

_Sure did. You heard me, huh?_

_**I hear and see all that you hear and see. Even your dreams.**_ _****Fine. So it's true, then. The magicians still exist._

_**I believe they do. I sense their energy still permeating this world. It is a most unique energy. And energy of this sort cannot be imitated. It is greater than it was so long ago. I fear their numbers have grown greatly.**_

_Tell me about them. They want the Millennium Shield?_

_**Not just the shield. All of the Millennium items. That is their goal: acquisition of the Millennium items for complete world domination.**_

_And including the shield, there are eight Millennium items._

_**Yes. The shield is key in locating the remaining seven. Each of the other seven Millennium items has been granted protection by the Millennium Shield. Should the shield fall into the wrong hands and the protection be canceled... it might very well spell disaster for this world.**_

_You know, technology has progressed just a tad bit since your time. Our weapons are a little more lethal than your average scimitar._

_**Weapons of even this day and age are useless against the magics that course through the Millennium items, including the shield. You do not yet fully appreciate the power you carry about your neck, Kyle. Apparently magic is a forgotten thing, which makes it all the more dangerous.**_

_People haven't forgotten about magic. They just stopped believing in it._

**_In which case, it may be even more dangerous._**

_Where are the items now?_

It took Theoris several moments to respond to this. **_It is hard for me to tell. We are now so far removed from my ancestral home that I do not believe I would be able to locate them from here. Then again, I do not know if I would be able to locate a Millennium item if its bearer was standing right next to you. There remain many mysteries._**

__Kyle scoffed. _Undoubtedly. So how worried should I be?_

_**I know not. For all that I know, the magicians may have forgotten about the Millennium Shield altogether. Though somehow I doubt this. It was this one item that was exposed to the people... this one item that was etched into their memories. If anything, the magicians are more likely to be focused on acquiring it.**_

_And how will they know it's gone from the cave?_

_**The awakening of its power. A shield, by nature, cannot hide itself. It is, quite simply, a target. Something to divert an assault. A shield is meant to protect. Thus is the nature of the Millennium Shield... to protect the people. The Millennium items. Its bearer. Whosoever needs protection.**_

_If they want it so badly, then why didn't they try to dig it out? Surely they've had the chance over the last few millennia._

_**Perhaps they were frightened by its power.**_

_Not frightened enough to try to steal it from you as you ran from your own people_, Kyle pointed out. 

**_Not that, Kyle. The golem._**

Kyle blinked. _The shield created the golem?_

_**Should this surprise you so? You saw the golem with your own eyes. You saw my memory of that fateful day. Between the two, can you deny that the shield had a hand in the creation of that monstrosity, whose likeness now resides on an inscription on paper?**_

_...I'm going to have to make sure you get with the times, my friend._ Kyle got to his feet and trundled over to his dresser. _As it stands, unless I have a magician show up on my doorstep, I'm going to at least try not to think about them. I have other things to worry about._

_**Can you toss aside the implications of ignorance so easily in this day and age?**_

Kyle sighed as he pulled a shirt on. _What would you have me do? Worry about what I can't change? If the magicians come, they'll come. Dunno what the hell I'm gonna do when that happens, but we'll figure something out, I'm sure._ Kyle snorted. _Hell, we could always run. I'm pretty good at that._

**_I have noticed that._**

_Thanks._ Another sigh escaped the teen. _Ugh. Studies, more studies, and then a duel. And a voice in my head all the while. Plus a bunch of people who want to steal power and rule the world with something in my possession. What's a guy to do?_

**_I am intrigued that you are so nonchalant about such matters, Kyle. I would not have thought such lethargy possible._**

_It's not lethargy. It's an attempt to put the surrealism of all this out of my mind. My world comes crashing down around my ears, what's my first impulse going to be? To try to ignore it, of course, just as your people tried to ignore the looming threat of rebellion among the ranks of your court mages. They tried to ignore a civil war. Now, though, you only have me to deal with. Soon enough, I'll start seeing the "grim reality" for what it is, but in the meantime, stop trying to break me into it like I'm yet another soldier in this millennial war you've been fighting. Let me deal with it in my own way. And when I'm ready to get with the program, we'll mull it over some more. Sound fair?_

_**No. But then again, it is your mind I am intruding upon. And your decision, despite my wish for it to be different.**_

_I'm so glad we're on the same page._

-- 

Time seemed to fly. This wasn't a good thing, in Kyle's estimation. His stomach churned with each passing hour, as his duel with Zack drew nearer and nearer. At a near-frantic pace, he visited all of the game shops in town except the one Zack worked at, looking to acquire any and all good cards he could possibly find. The best one he could find was Amphibian Beast, an aquatic monster with 2400 attack points, which he quickly added to his deck. 

_It looks good, but it's still not good enough! Maybe I should give up on the monsters and just look for power-ups, instead._ So his search became one for adequate equipment cards – his search was rewarded with a rare Horn of Light, with the ability to boost any monster's defensive power by an additional 800 points. He also acquired an equally rare Malevolent Nuzzler, capable of empowering any monster with an additional 700 attack points. 

_It's enough to overcome Sanga if I use Amphibian Beast or Launcher Spider... but Sanga just doesn't work on attack power alone. Chubs may be right – I may not have much of a shot at this at all. With that effect it's got..._

Nevertheless, Kyle continued to push for cards that might strengthen his deck. He didn't reap many more rewards from his search, but he did manage to increase his deck's cohesive power and strategy using the cards he'd already been in possession of. 

**_Several of these creatures look disturbingly akin to those I saw that night..._**

_Let's not think about it now. For the moment, this is just a card game._

_**If it is "just a card game"... why are you so frantic?**_

_****...Pipe down._

Almost before Kyle even realized what was happening, the day had come, and he and Zack were both standing in the lobby of the dueling center they'd reserved. 

Zack grinned at Kyle. "Ready to show me what you've got?" 

"I haven't got much," Kyle admitted. "I don't know if I can do this." 

"C'mon. What're the chances I'll even draw Sanga during the duel? I've got a sixty-card deck. That's a lot to go through for one card." Zack chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Kyle. Just show me your best. Beat me, and Sanga's all yours. Don't think about what'll happen if you lose. Focus on winning. Strategy. How to beat your opponent. Not how hopeless it looks." 

Kyle scoffed. "Oh, _that's_ encouraging." 

"Thanks, I try my best." 

They strolled silently down the hallway to the dueling platform that had been reserved for them. When they went through the door, it was all Kyle could do not to gasp at how large the setup was. 

The holographic field itself was so massive, it stood almost taller than either him or Zack. Most of the huge rectangular field was a bright, polished silver hue; the edges of the narrow sides, however, were a different matter. One side had been painted a vibrant blue, while the other side was an equally vibrant red. Sitting in the center of each narrow side was a pedestal – where duelists played their cards. 

"Go on, take a station," Zack encouraged. "Neither one's going to bite you." 

"So says you," Kyle responded uncertainly. Nevertheless, he made his way to the red station and stepped onto the platform. 

From the blue station, Zack called out, "There should be a button on the left side. Press it and the platform will ascend." 

Kyle did as instructed, and in response, motors whirred as the platform he stood on rose eight feet into the air. He grabbed the railing behind him tightly as the platform moved; he wasn't exactly afraid of heights, but he didn't favor being thrust up into them, either. 

Zack was already on the level and giving his deck a last minute shuffle. "All right. We're playing by traditional rules, starting at two thousand Life Points." 

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Kyle responded. 

"I know. It's what you're familiar with. Now, hold on to your hat, because this is a lot different from the way you're used to playing this game." Zack smirked. "As it is, since you were the official challenger, that means I get to choose which of us goes first. I vote you." 

"Fine by me," Kyle answered, drawing five cards as he spoke. As he drew, a pair of Life Point counters lit up on either of Zack's sides; at the same time, a pair of LP counters readied themselves at either side of Kyle's own station. The numbers were huge. Neither duelist would have any doubt as to his own Life Points or those of his opponent. 

He drew his sixth card, and the duel began. 


	25. Fury of Thunder I

_A/N: And here's the twenty-fifth chapter! I must admit, though, I'm starting to feel discouraged... I still have yet to accentuate the main conflict of the story because there's so much to detail. But we'll get to that soon, I promise you that. In the meantime, feast your eyes on this!_

_Wolfwings: Well, hey, here's your chance to see what happens next! Hope you enjoy._

_Penny: Ack, insanities. I'm surrounded by them... no need for more... here, read this..._

_Happy birthday, Ankh-chan._

------- 

Kyle's Life Points - 2000 

Zack's Life Points - 2000 

-- 

"All right, then." Kyle looked at the panels of the pedestal in front of him. There were fourteen of them in total, two rows of seven panels each. The format was the same as a dueling mat. The center ten panels were for the cards on the field. The lower right corner panel was for the deck, the one above it for the graveyard; the lower left corner was for the fusion deck (assuming he had one, which he didn't, hence it remained empty), and the one above that was used for field magic cards. 

_Okay. Just like a normal duel. Except with a load of technology to make it as intimidating as possible._

_**This is a duel? I was under the impression that all you needed was a flat surface on which to place your creature pictures.**_

_Um... no offense, Theoris, but I'd appreciate it if you toned it down..._ Kyle winced slightly. _If I have any chance at all of doing well at this, much less winning, I need to be able to focus, and the sound of your voice in my head remains disturbing to me._

_**I understand, Kyle, do not worry. I am content to watch and learn.**_

_****I really appreciate it_. Kyle took a deep breath. _Here_ _goes nothing_ "I play Shining Abyss (1600/1800) in defense mode," he announced, placing his Shining Abyss monster card sideways on the leftmost monster field panel. 

In response, the card recognition technology scanned his card and sent the resulting information to the card database. The database, which worked in conjunction with the holographic simulation systems, provided the holo-tech with the information it needed – the monster, its statistics, and its battle mode – and a moment later, a massive, bejeweled creature wavered into existence, hovering over the massive gray prismatic shade support panels of the battlefield. 

Kyle had studied the processes of the workings of this machinery quite thoroughly. Yet all he could think was, _Whoa_ It took him a few moments to remember what his strategy was. "I'll end my turn there." 

Zack didn't seem nearly as impressed. As a matter of fact, he seemed a bit surprised. "You played a defending monster face-up and you've got no support for it? That's inviting me to attack it. Don't tell me you don't know that." 

"Well, let's see you do better, then," Kyle responded. 

"Oh, you'll see plenty of that. I'll also place a monster in defense mode, but unlike yourself, I'm going to put mine face-down. In addition, I'm placing three magic/trap cards face-down." 

Opposite Kyle's Shining Abyss hologram, there appeared the image of a larger-than-life Duel Monsters card in a face-down position. Behind that square, three of Zack's field's magic/trap panels began pulsing a soft gold light, indicating an unknown card had been placed there. 

"My turn's done. Now show me your best." 

"I will, at that." Kyle drew his next card. _Awesome. Just what I need._ "I play Amphibian Beast (2400/2000) in attack mode." 

Next to the holographic Shining Abyss, the manifestation of Amphibian Beast appeared– 

"Activate Trap Hole!" 

Before it had even fully appeared, the massive bipedal Fish-type monster seemed to fall into a crag that had spontaneously appeared in the paneling beneath its webbed feet. The creature roared defiantly as it was sucked in, but there was no saving it, and it vanished. 

The whole exchange had taken less than three seconds. 

Kyle stared at the spot his Amphibian Beast had just vacated, a mixture of awe and shock on his face. _As easily as that, he takes out my best monster?_

"There's plenty more where that came from, Kyle," Zack assured him. "Keep in mind, this duel is no different from a normal duel you'd play out on a table. Only, you get to watch the action. Let me know if you can't handle it. Then we'll both have been wrong about you." 

Kyle glared. "I'm not going to give up that easily. Since I can't play another monster, I'll end my turn there." 

Zack smirked as he drew his next card. "Good. Surrender is a thing you have to avoid in order to be an effective duelist." He inspected his hand, then nodded in appreciation. "For now, I'll show you just how effective the defensive strategy can be. I place another monster face-down in defense mode" 

Another larger-than-life Duel Monsters card appeared next to the one already on the field. 

"And then I place another magic/trap face-down, and end my turn." 

The center m/t square on Zack's back row re-lit in place of the Trap Hole that had vacated it the previous turn. 

_I'll have to figure out my strategy pretty quickly_ Kyle drew, then looked up and announced, "I play Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode." 

A creature comprised entirely of blocks and mortar rose to the field, towering high above the defensive Shining Abyss. The scraping of rock against rock resounded throughout the arena. 

"Millennium Golem attacks the first face-down you played," Kyle announced. 

Upon those words, Golem pulled its right fist back, stomped forward, and pounded into the card backing on the holo-field. The card flipped over and revealed a delicate yet strong-looking elf-woman. 

"Gyakutenno Megami (1800/2000) survives your attack," Zack answered. "Maybe some other time." 

"No maybe about it. I'll place one magic/trap on my field and end my turn." 

One of Kyle's rear panels began to glow, signifying the presence of his face-down, as with Zack's. 

Zack drew, then said, "I activate the magic card Horn of Light and equip it to Gyakutenno Megami, in order to raise her defense points by 800." 

A glowing horn sprouted in the center of the fairy's head and grew out until it was almost longer than her head itself. 

"That's all for me. Back to you." 

Kyle drew. _I have to start playing the way he does if I've got a chance of winning this thing._ "I place one monster in face-down defense mode." 

Next to Golem, there appeared a card backing. 

"And Golem will attack your other face-down monster." 

Again, Golem stomped forth and struck the face-down card on the field. This time, an ugly, pumpkin-shaped creature with three eyes and an ear-piercing shriek appeared, and shattered like so much broken glass. 

"Looks like you've destroyed my Sangan (1000/600)," Zack said cheerfully. "In case you weren't aware, when Sangan goes to the graveyard, I get to pick a monster card from my deck and add it to my hand provided that monster has less than 1500 attack points." 

"Then that monster's not going to do much to get back at me, is it?" Kyle retorted. 

"We'll see." Zack performed the instructions as given by the Sangan card, and after he made his choice, he shuffled his deck and asked, "Is that all?" 

"Yeah, I'm done." 

"Glad to hear." 

Zack drew his next card, then grinned and glanced up at Kyle. "Here comes what I'm pretty sure is the greatest challenge you've ever faced. I play Sanga of the Thunder (2600/2200) in attack mode!" 

The field space Zack's Sangan monster had previously occupied was again taken, this time by a massive red and gold construct. It had no face that Kyle could discern, and the closest thing to an eye would have been the strange orb located in its center, where a Japanese symbol that Kyle couldn't read – though he guessed it stood for "thunder" – was located. It wasn't humanoid by any stretch of the imagination, because it seemed to be comprised only of a dark red torso. Its golden arms looked almost mechanical in nature; its upper arms were narrow, and broadened out into massive forearms that bore claws. It had some sort of golden, semicircular structure sprouting out two small golden orbs on its back, and at the top of this was yet another gold sphere. Electricity crackled all across its form. 

_The Labyrinth Brother–!_

Kyle's hand flicked to his m/t field and he flipped over the one card on it. "Activate Trap Hole!" he declared. 

"Not so fast," Zack chuckled. "I'll activate my face-down trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit. At the cost of 1000 of my Life Points, I can negate the activation of your Trap Hole and allow Sanga's summoning to go through." 

The field manifested this play in a most interesting fashion. As the Trap Hole opened up underneath the panel where Sanga was being summoned, a dark perversion of a Swiss Army knife appeared from the golden glow of one of Zack's back row panels, and Zack's Life Points scrolled down to half their original value. It corkscrewed itself into the crag, which promptly sealed up a moment later. 

And the creature was still there. 

"You'll need more than a simple Trap Hole to take out a Labyrinth Brother," Zack remarked. "Against a creature this important, you need a whole lot more. And I'm not done with my summonings just yet." 

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "You can only play one monster per turn." 

"Ordinarily, that's true. But not quite so when I activate the trap card Ultimate Offering." 

The activation of Zack's trap was followed by the appearance of a rotund goblin-like creature directly behind Sanga of the Thunder. The grin on its face was maniacal. 

"At the cost of 500 Life Points, this card allows me to summon another monster. And since it's a continuous trap, I can use it as many times as I like, provided my LP doesn't run out from it." 

"You only have 1000 LP left." 

"I only need 500. Observe. I pay 500 Life Points to play Ceremonial Bell (0/1850) in defense mode!" 

As Zack's LP counters descended to 500, an arch composed of white brick rose up alongside Sanga. Within the arch was a massive golden bell. 

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to scare me?" 

"It ought to, since its special effect forces both of us to reveal every card in our hands to each other as long as it's on the field." Zack smirked. "The only card in my hand is another Gyakutenno Megami. How about you?" 

Kyle glanced down as his hand and mentally whacked himself upside the head. _Man, he's getting me at every turn!_ "Firewing Pegasus, Vorse Raider, Mechanicalchaser, Neo the Magic Swordsman, and Wall of Illusion." 

"All monsters." Zack whistled. "Wow. Your deck isn't being very kind to you today." 

"I have all the defenders I need," Kyle retorted. 

"Maybe, but you also have one attacker, and it's much weaker than my own. Sanga of the Thunder, attack Millennium Golem!" 

Sanga brought its claw-like hands up and next to each other, and between them there appeared a sphere of electrical energy. A massive streak of lightning was loosed from the glowing orb and speared straight through Golem, which subsequently vanished. 

Kyle's Life Point counters scrolled down to 1400. 

"I'm finished, for now," Zack said. "Take your best shot." 

"I think not," Kyle responded, as he drew his next card. 

"Remember Ceremonial Bell's effect. I get to know what that card is." 

Kyle frowned. _Damn._ "Kiseitai." 

"Hm. All right, continue." 

"I will. Your Bell may force me to show you what's in my hand, but it doesn't make me play my monsters face-up. So I place one monster face-down and end my turn." 

"Fair enough. I draw... Gift of the Mystical Elf, if you want to know. Then I place one magic/trap and one monster face-down. Sanga, attack his Shining Abyss." 

Another blast of lightning incinerated Kyle's Shining Abyss. 

"End turn." 

"And I draw... Weather Report," Kyle responded. He stared at Sanga for several moments. _How am I supposed to beat that thing? I don't have any monsters with an attack factor that high, and even if I did attack it, my monster's attack power would turn to zero and I'd lose all of my LP in the counterattack. That thing could take on any monster and win!_

He sighed and scanned his hand. _I've got Kiseitai face-down. He knows that, and he won't attack Kiseitai because I'll get a Life Point gain every turn if he does, and he only gets one attack per turn. There's no point in wasting the rest of my monsters until I absolutely have to._ "I'll pass this turn." 

"I draw Skull Guardian," Zack announced. "And I'll also end my turn without playing a card." 

"Then I draw Magician of Faith." Kyle pursed his lips at the Ceremonial Bell situated beside Sanga. _I need to destroy that, or else he'll spot a strategy before I even try to put it into motion._ He looked his hand over. _Firewing Pegasus can take care of that. Sanga will blow it away next turn, but I can afford the monster and the Life Points. And I need the privacy._

"I play Firewing Pegasus (2250/1800) in attack mode," he declared. A stomping white horse with wings of red flame appeared on the field and whinnied loudly. 

"Pegasus, attack Ceremonial Bell." 

The ivory horse snorted, then whinnied again – and a streak of white fire blasted from its mouth and washed over Ceremonial Bell. The bricks fell apart from the sudden gust of heat and the bell cracked from the temperature change. 

Behind the wreckage of the Ceremonial Bell, there stood a Mystical Elf bearing an orb of white light, a peaceful expression on her face. Kyle frowned. "What...?" 

"I activated my trap card, Gift of the Mystical Elf," Zack responded, "while there were still six monsters on the field – your two and my four. For each monster on the field, regardless of battle position, this card gives me three hundred extra Life Points." 

In support of Zack's statement, his LP counters shot up from 500 to 2300. 

_Great, now he's got more Life Points than when we started. But there's nothing I can do about it right now._ "I end my turn there," Kyle said. 

Zack nodded appreciatively as he drew his next card. "Destroying my Bell to hide your hand. Very good. But since your Life Points are wide open through your monster, I'd be foolish not to attack. So I'll do so. Sanga, attack Firewing Pegasus." 

Another devastating electrical blast rendered Kyle's monster to smoke and ash. Kyle's LP lowered to 1050. 

"I'm done. Your turn." 

Kyle drew, then announced, "I place one monster and one magic/trap face-down, and that ends my turn." 

Zack raised an eyebrow as he drew. "Now we're getting into the more interesting plays. Good to see. Wonder what that magic/trap is, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. For the moment, I play Change of Heart on your face-down Kiseitai." 

"What good will that do?" Kyle asked, even as the face-down card on his field switched to his opponent's. 

"Tremendous good. Kiseitai's effect only works as long as it's face-down. So if I flip it face-up to attack mode, like so..." 

The card abruptly flipped over and revealed the worm-like, one-eyed Kiseitai (300/800). 

"...its effect is negated and nothing happens when I destroy it. Which I can assure you will happen next turn. Meantime, Sanga, attack his face-down monster." 

This time, Sanga's attack shot through Kyle's Wall of Illusion (1000/1850). "Now Sanga has to go back to your hand as per my Wall's special effect." 

"He won't be off the field long. I haven't made a normal summon yet this turn, so I'll put him right back, in attack mode. And that ends my turn." 

Kyle drew and sighed. _He's gonna stick with Sanga as long as he possibly can. All I can do is defend myself until I get something worth using._ "I switch Kiseitai back to defense mode, then place one monster face-down and end my turn." 

"Fair enough." Zack drew. "I place one magic/trap face-down. Sanga, rid the field of Kiseitai, please." 

Sanga was only too happy to oblige, and the worm-like fiend shrieked indignantly as it was incinerated. 

"End turn." 

Kyle drew. "One monster face-down, end turn." 

Zack followed up with a draw and, "Sanga, attack the last face-down he played." 

Kyle's Vorse Raider (1900/1200) was thrown to oblivion. "End turn." 

"Another monster face-down, end turn." 

Zack narrowed his eyes. "We're gonna have to put a stop to the face-down plays, they're getting tiresome. One magic/trap face down. Sanga, attack the last monster he played." 

This time, it was Kyle's Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) that bit the electric bullet. "End turn." 

Kyle sighed. _I'm gonna run out of cards before I can fight back, at this rate! All I can do is defend!_ "Another monster face-down–" 

"Activate trap card, Light of Intervention!" Zack interrupted. The lighting around the arena instantly increased, almost to the point that they had to squint to see each other. "This continuous trap card forces both players to place their monsters face-up on the field, and no matter what position you put them in, they're considered summoned monsters." 

_And therefore vulnerable to Trap Holes of several varieties._ "Fine. The monster I'm placing is Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) in defense mode. And you don't get to see my face-down." 

"I'm not terribly concerned with your face-down, for all the luck you've been having so far," Zack responded. "Is that all?" 

"Yeah, I'll end my turn there." 

"Good." Zack drew, but barely paid attention to the drawn card. "Sanga, attack his face-down monster." 

Dark Zebra (1800/400) whinnied loudly in protest as it was fried. "End turn." 

Kyle grit his teeth as he drew his next card. _What am I going to do now? Every monster I bring out, he wrecks, and every good card I draw, he counters! With his level of experience, he knows what I'm going to do before I know it myself! I can't win this duel!_

-- 

Kyle's Life Points - 1050 

Zack's Life Points - 2300 

------- 

_To Be Continued_


	26. Fury of Thunder II

_A/N: Refer to Chapter 25._

_Wolf: Glad you're enjoying so far. Picked that ending pretty well, didn't I? Seemed like the best split._

_Monica: It's a vague reference to the government, especially in times when rumors of spying abound. When "Big Brother's watching", that means you're being spied on by the government and you'd better be on your best behavior._

-------

"Red-Moon Baby (700/1000) in defense mode, end turn."

"Sanga, attack Aqua Madoor." Another blast of lightning caused the water magician to explode. "End turn."

"Bite Shoes (500/300) in defense mode, end turn."

"Sanga, attack Bite Shoes." Lightning wrapped around the small pair of fiend-possessed high heels. "End turn."

_I REALLY need to get rid of that Light of Intervention card! Bite Shoes might have bought me a chance if its flip effect had taken place!_ Kyle drew his next card and blinked. _Well, this might do._ "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Light of Intervention."

"Activate trap card Magic Drain," Zack responded. "Unless you discard another magic card from your hand, the effect of your Typhoon is negated and Light stays on the field."

"I can't discard another magic card."

"Then in that case, Light sticks around." Zack smirked. "You'll have to do better than that. You have to figure out how to destroy the armor before you can destroy the person inside it."

Kyle sighed. "Fine. In that case, I'll play Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) in defense mode."

"Activate Bottomless Trap Hole," was the reply. "It destroys a summoned monster whose attack points are 1500 or higher."

Kyle nearly pounded his pedestal in frustration as the Neo hologram disappeared in a crag not unlike that of a regular Trap Hole. _Now I'm only down to one defensive monster, and if he has another trap card like that, my Life Points are down the drain!_ "End turn, then, if you're so determined to make me get rid of my monsters."

"I told you, Kyle, I'm a tough competitor. If you're going to have Sanga, you'll have to be able to stand up to all sorts of people like me. I recruited you because I think you've got the ability to become an expert duelist, with or without Sanga. Show me how badly you want to prove me right."

Zack drew his next card. "All right. First, I place one magic/trap face-down. Next, I play Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in attack mode."

On Zack's field, there appeared a three-eyed woman with dark hair and even darker robes.

"After that, I play the ritual magic card Novox's Prayer."

Behind Witch of the Black Forest, a small girl looking to be a dead ringer for Little Red Riding Hood wavered into existence. She had a determined look on her face, and her fingers were interlaced in prayer. Kyle watched in curiosity.

"In order to fulfill the conditions of this card, I have to sacrifice monsters from my field and/or my hand. Their total level stars have to equal at least 7. Witch of the Black Forest is level 4, and the Dark Witch in my hand is level 5, more than enough to accommodate the cost."

Zack's Witch was suddenly engulfed in blue flame and vanished from her position on the field.

"After fulfilling the conditions of Novox's Prayer, I can ritual summon Skull Guardian (2050/2500) in defense mode."

In Witch's place there appeared a slender humanoid creature clad in brown and silver armor. Its forearms were actually long blades, and its helmet looked as if it should belong on an insect's head. It knelt down and crossed its blade-arms in front of its body in an X-shaped defensive position.

"Beyond that, I also gain the effect of Witch of the Black Forest, of which I'm sure you're aware."

_Yeah, yeah, get a monster in your deck that has a defense of 1500 or less..._ Kyle nodded.

After gathering his new monster into his hand, Zack frowned and chewed his lip a moment. "You know, come to think of it, I don't really need this, and I would really like something else."

"And how do you intend to get what you want?"

"Simple." Zack placed another magic card on his rear field. "I play Card Destruction, to demolish each and every card in our hands in exchange for the same number of cards off the tops of our decks."

Kyle ground his teeth in frustration. _Not only am I losing Weather Report, Crass Clown, and Magician of Faith, but I'm also losing Launcher Spider, my best defense! I can only hope I get something good in exchange..._

Zack inspected his new card and nodded in approval. "Yep, this was exactly what I wanted. All right, then. I place another magic/trap card face-down on the field. And finally... Sanga, destroy Red-Moon Baby."

The minuscule zombie vanished under Sanga's assault.

"Your move."

Kyle pulled the next card off the top of his deck – and audibly sighed with relief. _This might be the turning point._ "I play Monster Reborn, to return my Amphibian Beast to the field in attack mode."

Zack raised an eyebrow. "Okay, then. You're aware putting it in attack mode endangers your Life Points, right?"

"Not if its attack power is higher than Sanga's." Kyle smirked. "Now I play the equip card Malevolent Nuzzler, to increase Amphibian Beast's attack power to 3100. I think that goes beyond Sanga's tolerance."

From one of Kyle's formerly empty m/t holo-plates, there emerged a sadistic-looking, three-eyed, green-skinned female. The area below her torso was hazy, as if she was a genie, and she wrapped herself around the giant aquatic creature to accentuate that appearance. She grinned evilly at Zack's field of monsters.

"It does, but if you want to attack Sanga, you'll need a hell of a lot more Life Points than you've got right now to stay in the game after such a disastrous decision."

"Who said I was going after Sanga? I just need to keep my attack power higher than yours, that's all. And it doesn't look to me like any of your other monsters have a similar effect, so with that said... Amphibian Beast, attack Skull Guardian!"

But even as Kyle's Amphibian Beast leapt forward, Zack began to laugh. "You're way too predictable, Kyle. Activate Enchanted Javelin!"

A jewel-encrusted spear appeared on Zack's field and bolted toward Amphibian Beast as the massive, magic-enhanced creature bore down upon the defensive Skull Guardian. The mystical weapon shot through the huge reptile, but did no apparent damage to it, and in the meantime, it rent Skull Guardian to shards with its razored claws.

_There had to have been more to that trap than just some fun light effects..._

Zack's grin confirmed that thought. "Take a look at my Life Point counters, Kyle."

Kyle did so – and did a double take.

Where they had once displayed 2300 in bold white, now they read 5400.

"Thanks to the effect of my Enchanted Javelin, I gain Life Points equal to the attack strength of an attacking monster. Simple math should tell you the rest. I should thank you – without that attack, I'd still be sitting on a measly 2300."

"Don't expect to stay there for long," Kyle responded, though the response was only half-hearted. _Now what am I going to do? He's got nothing to worry about as long as he keeps his other monsters in defense mode, and I can't even try to attack Sanga unless I want to lose the game..._

Zack smirked. "I'd love to see how you plan to do something about it."

"You'll see soon enough. I end my turn."

Zack drew his next card, then looked up at Kyle. "Not gonna play anything this turn. Your move."

"Fine." Kyle drew, inspected the card a moment, then shrugged. "Think I'll hang on to this one. Amphibian Beast, attack his Gyakutenno Megami."

Another swiping claw attack bore down on the elf equipped with the Horn of Light. She emitted a short shriek before shattering under the blow.

"Looks as if you're starting to make a comeback," Zack noted casually.

"It does, at that. End turn."

Zack drew, then again said, "I'll end my turn without playing anything."

Kyle began his turn, drew, then ordered, "Amphibian Beast, attack his face-down monster."

Yet again, his massive creature came through and sliced Zack's other Gyakutenno Megami to nothingness.

_That brings him down to Sanga as the last Duel Monster blocking my way to his Life Points._ "End turn."

"Goody." Zack drew his next card, then looked up at Kyle. "Having fun yet?"

"It's only really fun to me when I'm winning," Kyle admitted. "Right now I've got a way to go yet to do that."

"And after this turn, you're going to be even further away. I equip Sanga of the Thunder with Bright Castle." As Zack placed his magic card on the field, a miniature castle with white spires formed underneath Sanga, and the huge Duel Monster gained a whitish aura about it. "This magic card increases Sanga's attack power by 700, much like your Malevolent Nuzzler. Only difference is that it can only be equipped to Light monsters. So now Sanga has 3300 attack points. Sanga, attack his Amphibian Beast!"

"Activate Waboku!" Kyle hurriedly announced, flipping over his face-down trap to supplement the command. _At least I'll be able to stop his attack–_

"Activate Seven Tools of the Bandit," Zack responded calmly, and he turned over his own trap card. As the protective translucent shield of Kyle's Waboku appeared on the field, the distorted Swiss army knife of Zack's Seven Tools did the same. This time it used its corkscrew to punch a hole through the shield and shatter it – its use reduced Zack's Life Points to 4400.

The familiar lightning attack speared through the huge Fish-type Duel Monster and reduced it to fragmented holographic glass, which vanished but a moment later – along with Kyle's Malevolent Nuzzler. Kyle's Life Points scrolled down to 850.

_Damn it! He's taken out my trump card! And Monster Reborn is restricted, so I can't bring it back again!_

"I end my turn there."

Kyle sighed and drew his next card. _Pretty much all I can do is buy time for myself until another strategy comes along._ "I play Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) in defense mode, and then play the field magic card Chorus of Sanctuary. This powers up the defense of every defensive monster on the field by 500 points."

"Which still isn't enough to save your Spirit."

"No, but it'll give me a little time, at least. I also place one magic/trap card face-down and end my turn."

"Hnh." Zack drew, then looked back to Sanga. "Sanga, take out his Spirit of the Harp."

Another bolt of lightning incinerated Kyle's monster.

"This is getting a little monotonous, wouldn't you agree?" Zack inquired.

"I'd say so. What, you expect me to quit?"

"Not really. Just trying to see what you'd be inclined to do at this point."

"I'd keep playing. After all..." Kyle smirked. "..._you're_ the one that thought I could do this. So with that challenge presented to me, I have to find a way to make it work."

"Good for you. I'll end my turn and watch the sparks fly."

Kyle drew his next card, and then fought very hard to keep a grin from spreading on his face. _Just when I thought I had nothing left._ He looked to his field. _Gotta keep playing. See where it goes._ "I place Magician of Faith (300/400) in defense mode. Chorus of Sanctuary increases her defense power to 900."

"Even worse than its predecessor."

"True. Not that I'm worried. You can only attack once. I place one magic/trap face-down, as well, and end my turn."

"Heh. You seem pretty confident for someone who's got barely anything left to lose." Zack drew. "Sanga, destroy his Magician of Faith."

The familiar lightning strike swept over Kyle's monster and sent it to the grave as it had all its predecessors...

But when the smoke from that attack cleared, Zack found himself surprised to see that one of Kyle's trap cards had flipped face-up. "What's this?"

"A trap, of course. And a particularly fun one, at that. It's Michizure, and it can only be activated when you destroy one of my monsters... something you seem to have made a hobby of doing. Think of it as a little revenge. When you destroy one of my monsters, I get to destroy one of yours. And in this case, how can I help but choose Sanga?"

Zack could only watch helplessly as a pair of massive arms shot up from the m/t slot on which Kyle had placed his trap card. The arms reached out and encircled Sanga, then dragged the monster into the dark recesses from which they'd come.

"Good," Kyle said. "Now we've got a little room to maneuver."

Zack pursed his lips. "That's irritating. But don't worry, he'll show up again."

"Not if I take out your Life Points before then. That was your last monster. Of course, you're free to put another one on the field... or even more than one, considering that Ultimate Offering trap you've still got active. That's assuming, of course, you have any monsters in your hand."

Zack scowled. "I don't. My turn's finished."

"Great." Kyle drew, then grinned. "Looks like things are starting to look up for me. I place two magic/trap cards face-down, and then play Mad Sword Beast (1400/1200) in attack mode!"

A quadrupedal creature with a hard shell protecting its back and a vicious steel spike on the tip of its snout appeared on Kyle's field, apparently ready to take on any and all opposition.

"Mad Sword Beast, attack his Life Points directly!"

The Duel Monster charged across the field and struck the base of Zack's pedestal, which bucked under the simulated hit. Zack stumbled and instinctively grabbed for the railing around him to help steady himself. His Life Point counters descended to 3000.

Kyle looked on in satisfaction. "That'll work. My turn ends there."

"Good to know." Zack drew, then chuckled. "Okay, then. You've made a good comeback, but now it's my turn. I play Seiyaryu (2500/2300) in attack mode!"

A pinkish dragon with tapered wings shimmered into existence, glaring at Kyle's Mad Sword Beast with eyes of yellow flame.

"It's not sticking around long. Activate Trap Hole!"

As had happened to Kyle's Amphibian Beast the first time he'd tried to summon it, Zack's Seiyaryu vanished in a crag that had spontaneously opened underneath it. Zack muttered a curse under his breath.

Kyle found himself slightly amused by his friend's frustration. "Since you didn't counter my trap, I assume you didn't have anything to counter it with. So I'll activate another of my face-downs, Jar of Greed, which allows me to draw one card."

"You do that."

"I am." Kyle picked up the next card from his deck. "Anything else?"

"Nope, looks like that'll about do it. Your turn."

"Good." Kyle drew another card, then looked at the field. "Okay, first thing's first. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Light of Intervention."

Zack harrumphed as he discarded his trap card. "Thus allowing you to play your monsters face-down once again."

"That's the idea. And then I do exactly that – one monster in face-down defense mode. Mad Sword Beast, attack his Life Points again!"

Again, Mad Sword Beast rushed forth and slammed itself into Zack's pedestal. Zack again had to grab the railing to stay steady on the platform as his Life Points were reduced to 1600.

"That's more like it," Kyle said, grinning. "That'll end my turn."

"Hm. You like that, do you?" Zack drew his next card. "Then you'll love this. I play Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards from my deck." He slipped the next two cards off the top of his deck and added them to his hand. "Good. Now I play Thunder Nyan-Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode."

An infantile Duel Monster bearing a set of drumsticks and crouched behind a set of drums – _drums?_ – appeared, looking ready to pound away and presumably destroy its opposition.

"Thunder Nyan-Nyan, attack Mad Sword Beast!"

But just as Zack's monster began beating away on her drum set, Kyle responded. "Activate quick-play magic card, Rush Recklessly! This increases the attack power of one of my monsters by 700 for the duration of the turn. Mad Sword Beast, take it to 'em!"

With an abrupt boost to an attack power of 2100, Mad Sword Beast charged and smashed into Thunder Nyan-Nyan, which only had time to emit a sharp squeak before it vanished into nothingness. Zack's Life Point counters continued to descend, this time to 1400.

"I'm not finished," Zack vowed. "I'll put my Ultimate Offering card to use, and sacrifice 500 Life Points to place one monster on my field face-down." His Life Points scrolled down to 900.

"Fine by me," Kyle shrugged. "You done?"

"For now."

Kyle smirked as he drew his next card. "Not just for now. For the duel. I play Remove Trap, which allows me to destroy one face-up trap card on your field – in this case, Ultimate Offering."

Zack silently discarded his Ultimate Offering card.

"Now I reveal my face-down monster, Hane-Hane (450/500), whose special effect allows me to return one monster on the field to its owner's hand – regardless of whether it's face-up or face-down. So... back to your hand with that monster."

Zack frowned as he collected his monster from the field. "And without my Ultimate Offering card, I can't bring it back out."

"Exactly. And now all I need to do is attack. So... Mad Sword Beast, attack his Life Points and finish this duel up."

For a fourth and final time, Mad Sword Beast crashed into Zack's platform, and this time, the Life Points of Kyle's opponent finally dropped to rock bottom.

Zero.

Kyle let out a colossal breath he didn't even know had built up inside his chest as he stared at the expired Life Point counters. They didn't change – didn't shoot back up unexpectedly, didn't shift around up and down... they simply stayed right there.

_I... won?_

Zack, for his part, was content to offer Kyle a small smile. "Well, Kyle. It looks like we were both right about you. Even though you're _officially_ at a relatively amateur level, you've got great potential when you know how to play the game."

He collected his deck, then pressed a button on his pedestal, and the platform responded by lowering itself to the ground. Kyle, after a few moments, did the same. They both walked around to one side of the massive holo-field, which was audibly powering down.

Zack's small smile was still there. Kyle's expression was one of slight dumbfoundedness. The older man chuckled. "Why're you so surprised, Kyle? You knew what you were doing. So it's only right that you're rewarded with this."

He held out his Sanga of the Thunder card – no longer his, but Kyle's. His smile widened. "Take it, Kyle. You've earned it today."

Slowly... gingerly... Kyle reached out and took the card.

Zack's smile receded somewhat. "Treat him with respect. Don't just get a thrill out of the power he wields. When you play him... make sure to protect him. And he'll protect you in return."

Kyle nodded slowly. "I will. I promise."

"Good." Zack emitted a sigh. "You probably won't see me for a while. I've got some things to work out, came up recently. Don't worry, if you need cards, you know how to find my website. I'll even give you a discount every so often. And I'll keep in touch."

Kyle cocked his head. "You're gonna leave so soon? This doesn't have anything to do with Jade, does it?"

Zack shook his head in response. "Nah. Just things I need to take care of. Besides which..." He offered another small smile. "She's _your_ problem, now."

The older duelist turned toward the hallway and made his way up it. "I'll keep in touch. In the meantime, savor your victory. And make sure to get yourself some more like it." As he was about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway, he winked at his conqueror.

That was the last moment Kyle would see Zack for a long time.

-------

_Okay! Thus concludes the Fury of Thunder dualogy. Next up, Kyle prepares himself for the coming realities of growing up and entering college, and he establishes an unexpected rapport with a longtime enemy. Stay tuned, and please do review!_


	27. Repairing Rifts

_A/N: Glad to see everyone enjoyed Fury of Thunder. Herewith Chapter 27, on time this time around!_

_Lumen: No worries, my friend, that won't be the last we see of Zack. He's just taking a reprieve for a while. And now there's room for other developments – the least of which not being the Jade factor!_

------- 

Normally, it didn't take Chubs a long time to digest something. This was an obvious fact to any who even caught a glimpse of him. There was no mistaking – he was a big guy. He downed pizza, pasta, and steak with the best of them. 

But this... this had caught him utterly flatfooted. 

"Whoa," he breathed, as he inspected Kyle's brand-new Duel Monsters card. "That's amazing. You're sure you won this fair and square? You didn't bribe him somehow?" 

Kyle laughed. "Bud, I'll bet you half my savings Zack has more money than I do. There's really no way I could bribe him to give this card up. Besides, why would he have me duel him for it only to give it to me in exchange for money afterward?" 

"Good question. Let me know when you figure it out." Chubs whistled once more, then handed the card back to his friend... though not without great effort. "So what's Zack up to now?" 

Kyle shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. He said he was going to be gone a while." 

Chubs raised an eyebrow. "Running scared or something?" 

"Like I said, I don't know. But if he's running scared, he says it's not 'cause of Jade." Kyle offered a wry smile. "Said she was mine to deal with now." 

"Well, she is," Chubs agreed. "Speaking of whom... what're you gonna do about her?" 

"Ehh. She'll come after me in due time, no doubt, once she figures out Zack doesn't have Sanga anymore." Kyle sat back, shuffled Sanga into his deck, then set the deck down and crossed his arms. "Whatever his reasons, he says he'll be giving me discounts on his web store, which may prove handy." 

"Let's hope so. Your deck still seems to lack the kind of unity I personally think it's important to have." Chubs struck upon a thought, evidenced in his expression. "You could conceivably put together a deck list... then go ahead and buy the cards you don't have, and insert the ones you do." 

"Hm. I may work on that." Kyle sighed and looked around his apartment. "Meantime... I'd best start thinking about packing up. Graduation is next month and then summer classes start in June. Gotta get ahead, y'know." 

"Yeah, I know." Chubs offered a sigh of his own. "Don't take it the wrong way or anything, but once you're out of here, I'm gonna miss you. I don't have too many dueling buddies. Hell, I barely have any buddies period." 

"We'll set something up," Kyle answered. "Maybe you could start an online dueling club. I've heard of that happening." 

"Hm. Possibly." Chubs regarded his friend with interest. "You're still chasing after Monica, aren't you?" 

"I wouldn't call it 'chasing after her'," Kyle replied. 

"Well, I would. You're still insane for even trying. But I guess she must've stood Xander up 'cause he won't go near her now. Or, considering a couple of the bruises I saw on him, she might've given him the old one-two." 

"Bah. Any football player could've done that during practice," Kyle responded dismissively. 

"It's the off-season, Kyle," Chubs pointed out. 

"Whatever. There could be any number of reasons he gets bruised. Doesn't have to be Monica." 

"True." Chubs got to his feet. "Well... think I'd best be heading out. Still got some unfinished homework." 

"Go for it." 

Chubs made his way out the door. "See ya." 

It was only after the door had swung closed that Theoris' voice returned. **_Someday you will have to teach me further about the customs of your culture._**

_Doesn't access to my memories give you all the information you need?_

_**Access gives me information, but it does not show me how to interpret that information. Anything I hear of in relation to current events or modern technology, I must take with... how do you say it? "A grain of salt".**_

__Kyle chuckled. _I suppose that's true. So what do you want to know?_

_**I am assuming that when Chubs refers to your "chasing after Monica", he means that you are attempting to become romantically engaged with her. Is this assumption accurate?**_

Kyle couldn't help but turn slightly red at the bluntness of the interpretation. Nevertheless, he conceded, _Yeah, that's about right._

_**And you are indeed making this attempt, then?**_

_I'm... not sure, really. What I'd like is for the two of us to stop being enemies. The entire enmity thing is just too stupid to bother with anymore. I have better things to do with my life than hold a grudge against her._

_**Then allow me to reassess the situation. You wish to hold some sort of peace between yourself and Monica. Chubs takes this to mean that you wish to become romantically involved with her. Where is this connection made?**_

_It's made in that my behavior was so radically different before you and the shield came along. Oh, we hated each other to the core. Now, for the first time in my life, I actually want to be nice to her. Since it's such a huge shift, I think Chubs is assuming I'd follow through in completely contradicting my previous behavior, rather than just stopping short of "let's be friends, Monica"._

_**Is this sort of assumption common among your culture?**_

_These days, it is. It's expected that a change that radical would inevitably lead to some kind of romance, or at least hopes for one._

_**...Would you object to having a romance with her?**_

__Kyle hummed to himself for a few moments. _Hard to say, really. Since I can't really project what would happen in such a relationship, I can't really say whether I think it'd be a good thing. Certainly, if nothing else, it would be fascinating._

There was a knock on the door. Kyle glanced up. "Yeah?" 

Dead silence beyond the threshold. 

Kyle frowned, then got to his feet and took a couple steps toward the door. "Who's there?" 

"...I accept." 

His frown deepened. "Monica?" He approached the door and opened it; sure enough, there stood Monica Zocallos, staring resolutely at him. 

"You challenged me to a duel. So I'm accepting the challenge." 

He blinked once, twice. "When did I challenge you?" 

"The night I was here, McCraine. I didn't have my deck then anyway, but I've got it with me now, along with a duelist calculator, and if you insist on being so thickheaded, I guess my coming over here was a waste of my time. Just like I figured dueling you would be." She started to turn to leave. 

"Hold on, wait a sec," Kyle said. "If you're wanting to duel, fine, let's duel. I just figured it was something to do to pass the time." 

She turned back to look at him. Curiously – thankfully, in Kyle's opinion – there was no glint of hatred in her gaze. Equal mixtures of boredom and exasperation, maybe, but no hatred. A slight hint of condescending, but not nearly to the extent he might have expected from her. "Yeah, I know. What do you think I'm doing here? Asking you on a date? I'm bored, and I have it on good authority that your dueling skills are improving." 

"You're saying you think I might actually be a challenge for you?" 

She snorted, and more condescending entered her gaze. "Don't flatter yourself, McCraine. That chubby friend of yours is more of a challenge than you are. But you were the one that offered the game, not him. So, if you're finished being an idiot, let's get on with this. I need to practice for the next tournament. I figure with all the commons you have, I'm gonna be running into a lot of the same." 

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know what makes you think I have a bunch of commons. I've got considerable funding, same as you." 

"Fine, so you have money. Now are you going to let me in, or are we going to duel in the doorway? If the latter, please, do let me sit down so I can get more comfortable." 

Kyle pursed his lips and stood aside to allow her in. "Fine, just so long as you don't complain about the state of my apartment." 

She glanced about the place for a few moments, then looked back at him. "You've got nothing to worry about in that area. You seem to know how to keep a clean house." 

_Did I hear right? She just gave me a compliment?_

_**Perhaps, in not so many words, she did.**_

She pulled the portable tray away from the arm of the couch and then went over to Kyle's desk and pulled his rolling armchair away from it. Obviously she was expecting to duel while sitting upright. But when she realized that both the tray table and the armchair towered horribly over the couch seats, she sighed and looked back at their owner. "All this work and it looks like we'll have to do this on the floor." 

Kyle waved at the chair and tray dismissively. "I'll take care of those later, since you're impatient to get this underway." 

"Good." She plunked herself down onto the floor, then pulled a metal deck case out of her pocket – which she'd had to unbutton in order to access its contents. 

Kyle whistled. "Serious about that Blue-Eyes, aren't you?" 

She glared up at him. "When are you ever going to get over the fact I have one?" 

"Probably never," he admitted. "I'm surprised Kaiba hasn't heard about it yet. Surely someone would have let him know by now that one of his old cards was sighted." 

"You said it yourself just now, McCraine, it's his _old_ card. Mine now. Besides, what good is the card to him if he's been on such a losing streak lately?" 

"Losing streak?" 

"Jeez, McCraine, what hole have you been hiding in?" She rolled her eyes, pulled her deck out, and began to shuffle it. "He lost to some unknown kid over in Japan. Kid pulled out Exodia. First time anyone had ever heard of Exodia coming out in a holographic duel. And then just recently there was a big tournament off Japan's coast, Duelist Kingdom. Kaiba got in but lost to Pegasus." 

Kyle frowned. "I thought the Blue-Eyes cards were his trump cards. What's he got going for him without them?" 

"New copies, of course," she responded in exasperation. 

"What?" 

"Good God, McCraine, get with the program! You're sure you're not into drugs or anything, right?" 

"Reasonably certain." 

"Good, because I'm not dueling a druggie." She sighed. "Anyway. Kaiba somehow cajoled Industrial Illusions to make him extra copies of the Blue-Eyes cards. No idea; for all I know he sold KaibaCorp to them for the exchange and then somehow got it back. So officially, he's got his cards back. Which is probably why I haven't had him knocking on my door." 

He shook his head. "That doesn't make sense, though. From what I hear, Kaiba loves those cards not only because of their power, but also because of their rarity. Wouldn't he still be chasing after the originals?" 

"Probably," she allowed. "Which is another reason I should duel a lot. There are a few people around here with some remotely good cards. If I can take on even a shadow of what Kaiba's supposed to have... I'll be doing pretty well. Now, for God's sake, get out your deck and let's duel." 

-- 

They finished their first game quickly. Monica, dismayed with how easily Kyle was beaten, challenged him to a second. 

The second game turned out much like the first. He managed to last perhaps two turns longer. He proposed a third. 

The dueling continued through seven games, all with the same end result. Monica won each and every one. 

She leaned back and sighed. "McCraine, even for an amateur, you really suck." 

"Thanks," he scoffed, "you're a pretty good duelist yourself." 

"Look, McCraine, I'm not going to tread lightly on what little career you have in Duel Monsters. Just because you're an official duelist doesn't mean you're a good one, and as we keep dueling, it's pretty obvious why." 

"Oh, please do enlighten me." 

"It's not your strategy, first off. You have a good, solid strategy going. But you only have _one_ strategy, and therein lies your problem." 

"Oh? And what's my one strategy?" 

"To defend yourself until something decent comes around for you to use." She shrugged. "In case you hadn't noticed, that strategy's not doing you very well here." 

"I'd noticed, thank you. Any suggestions as to what I should do about it?" 

"Well, first off, get some better monster cards. You defend way too much. You need to be able to go on the offensive and stay there. Keep your opponent down. Force him into the defensive. And stop making your moves so obvious." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"You're playing all your normal monsters face-up and all your effect monsters face-down. It's too obvious. If you're gonna play a monster at all, play it face-down. That way it's not an invitation to your opponent to destroy it – or fall for a trap you've laid." 

"Hm. Think the defensive strategy would go over better if I did that?" 

"Honestly, Kyle, I have no idea how you managed to make it this far without doing that." 

He blinked. _Did you hear what I heard?_

_**She referred to you as "Kyle". It is this you refer to, correct?**_

_Yeah. Maybe things might work out better than I'd hoped._

She scoffed and shook her head. "You definitely need better help with this than your friends seem to be giving you." 

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that an offer to teach me?" 

She hesitated. "Would you even _want_ me to give you tips on the game? What good would they do you if you don't have the cards to make the trick happen?" 

"Let me worry about which cards I have and don't have. I just want to know how I can become a better duelist. Like you, for instance." 

"Don't mock me, McCraine." 

He raised his hands. "I'm not. I recognize you as a good duelist, okay? Everyone around here acknowledges that." 

"Good, and they'd better not think otherwise." 

"Right. So?" 

She frowned. "What's up with you? All this time you've been an asshole. What happened to you to actually start being nice to me all of a sudden? Trying to scare me or something?" 

He emitted a slight sigh. "To be honest, that was the original intention." 

"Why?" 

"To get you to stop tormenting me every time we passed within a half-mile of each other." 

To her credit, she didn't get to her feet and walk out then and there – though she wouldn't have denied that this was her first instinct. "You said original intention. What, were you starting to feel sorry for me after that thing with Xander?" 

"It was before that, actually, that my attitude started changing." 

"So what is it you want now?" 

"To have a relationship that isn't based on animosity and spite." 

She chewed the inside of her lower lip a moment. "You know... you're rather eloquent when you want to be." 

"So I've heard," he replied wryly. 

She narrowed her eyes. "Why pursue any kind of 'relationship' with me at all when we're probably not going to see each other in about a month anyway? Ignoring how wrong that sounds." 

He shrugged. "Closure, I suppose. One major thing I can resolve before I leave." 

"Again, why? What point is there?" 

"Look, I've already made my share of enemies around here. If I ever do pass this way again – and I don't intend to – I'd just as soon make sure that there'll be some friendly faces here. It's not like I can go back to my parents." 

"Heard about that," she mused. "Not a good time staying with them, huh?" 

"I wouldn't be here otherwise." 

"Suppose that's true." She shook her head. "This is so weird. I think this is the only conversation you and I have ever had where one of us wasn't actively pissed off at the other one." 

"Nah, just passively pissed." He chuckled slightly. Even Monica had to smile at that. "So... uh... where're you headed after high school?" 

She shrugged. "Shouldn't make much difference to you one way or the other, should it?" 

"I'm just curious, s'all. But if you don't want to talk about it..." 

She shrugged again. "Like I said, makes no difference. But I'm headed off to college. Trenton University, out in Oregon." 

His eyes widened. "Oh, you can_not_ be serious." 

She frowned. "Why not?" But before he could even answer, she noted the look on his face – and her own expression changed. "Wait. Don't tell me. That's where you're going." 

"Yeah! Going for an English major out there!" 

"Huh. Go figure. The world's smaller than I thought." She offered yet another shrug. "English isn't really my forte, I'm afraid. I'm doing Business Management." 

"Wow." 

"Yeah. Maybe we'll run into each other out there, depending on the classes. Might..." She hesitated. 

He raised an eyebrow. "Hm?" 

"Might..." She shook her head and grinned a grin of disbelief. "I can't even believe I'm saying this... but... it might be nice... to see a friendly face there." 

At this, he couldn't help but smile himself. "There you go. See?" 

"See what?" 

"Look, I really would prefer to be a friend than an enemy. Of course, that all depends on whether you want me to be your friend or not." 

She frowned and narrowed her eyes further at him. "There's something you're not telling me. I can see it." 

He considered this, then nodded. "Yeah, there is. But if I told you now, I don't know if a friendship would exist between us at all. You'd probably be too pissed off at me to think about it." 

"I'm a big girl, McCraine. I may have my tantrums, but if I get one, I'd prefer to have one after acquiring information as opposed to being denied it. Only a fool chooses ignorance." 

His lips twisted to one side, then sighed. "Okay. Remember the day you started getting those yellow roses?" 

Her eyes widened. "You know about them." 

"It goes beyond that. I'm the one who's delivering them." 

"_Why?_" 

"I wanted to be nice. After hearing about your uncle–" 

"My family's none of your business, McCraine," she snapped angrily. "I don't go prying into your personal affairs. I'd expect the same courtesy – though what would you know about courtesy?" 

"If I didn't know anything about courtesy," he replied evenly, "I wouldn't have given you anything in the first place. I knew you were suffering. So I decided to do what I could to help. It was supposed to be something to help you feel better. But I knew you wouldn't take them from me directly. They had to be anonymous. So I gave them to you without a signature, and hoped it might help." 

"Yellow roses. To signify friendship. What, did you think I needed a friend?" 

"Frankly, yes. Beyond those girls that'd been hanging around you until that point..." 

"Oh." She scoffed. "_Them_. No, they weren't friends. They just wanted to say they hung out with me to cash in on some sort of pseudo-fame around the school." 

"I figured as much. So I thought, maybe you might like to know someone cared." 

She shook her head. "I don't understand. You and I have hated each other for so long, McCraine. Why stop now? It couldn't be just because of my uncle. Almost sounds like you're being like those girls, getting in with me..." 

"Monica, no. That's not it. I've already got my own brand of infamy. Or I used to. I'm done with all that now. I just want..." He exhaled. "I don't want to be the face you think of when you think of the devil, all right? I've gotten into a better standing with everyone else. I just want you to see that I've changed." 

"That's becoming more obvious with each passing second. I honestly can't say whether I like what you're becoming or not." She gathered up her cards and pocketed her duelist calculator. 

"Come this summer, you may yet find out." 

"Yeah. Sure." She got to her feet and made her way to the door. 

"Monica?" 

She stopped at the door and sighed. "What do you want, McCraine?" 

"To know that you'll be okay." 

She was silent for a moment... and then shook her head once. "I don't know." 

She stepped out of the apartment. And once the door closed... 

She bit her lower lip in an attempt to stop an oncoming smile. 

And failed miserably. 

------- 

_Perhaps things will indeed go better than Kyle had originally hoped for, hm? Next up, Kyle makes the big move and comes across someone he didn't expect to see in Oregon. Stay tuned! And please review while you wait!_


	28. Facing the Predator

_A/N: Here comes Chapter 28! Take a look, and let me know what you think._

_Skraku: Oh, there's a human yet left to explore within the monster. She just had to be brought out a little, s'all. Kinda like Kyle, right?_

_Monica: I've certainly seen that kind of smile for a while now. Thought it might be good to put it into a chapter and try to add a little realism. Glad to know she and her namesake have something in common!_

_Penny: Idiotic? Hardly. Hopeless? Perhaps. But I guess you'll see for yourself! *wink*_

__------- 

Over the course of the next month, Kyle began developing more of a friendship with Theoris. Of course, he remained tentative – after all, in this society, being friends with voices in one's head would be interpreted instantly as schizophrenia. So Kyle told no one else of Theoris' existence, and the same went for the true nature of the Millennium Shield. 

Chubs still came over, of course, and dueled Kyle on regular occasion. Curiously, there didn't seem to be much conversation exchanged between them, not as much as there had been before. Kyle wondered if perhaps Chubs was beginning to distance himself, in order to make it a little more bearable when his best friend moved across the country. 

Monica also came over... on rare occasion, and always whenever Chubs _wasn't_ there. But she came, nonetheless, and dueled Kyle as well. Of course, she continued to beat him – she had built her deck around making sure he didn't get monsters on his field so that she could attack his Life Points and not his monsters. Strangely enough, he never did manage to put Sanga on the field, and he never told her he had it. 

_Trump card. I'll spare her the knowledge until I put it in front of her._

One Saturday evening found Kyle and Theoris – or just Kyle, really – sitting alone in his apartment, watching TV as news of murders, rapes, social discord, and celebrity deathmatches graced the screen. Kyle was feeling under the weather, and so had a rather large cup of white soda by his side. 

**_How could the world have come to such vile means as these to entertain itself?_** Theoris asked. **_It seems such a frightful existence._**

**__**_We live with it_, Kyle responded. _It's not that we don't care what's happening in the world. I happen to think most of what's going on these days is pretty sickening. But there's not really much I can do about it._

_**Such words I have heard before. Such words I have spoken before. Then I realized that there was, indeed, something I could do about it. Through being a soldier, I could protect the people I loved and defend my home. A greater sacrifice I could not imagine.**_

_****Nor could I_, Kyle readily admitted. _But weren't you conscripted into the army?_

_**Merely because I was a conscript was not the reason I took such passion in what I did.**_

_****I suppose that's true enough._ Kyle reached up through the afghan he was using to help sweat out his illness and lightly fingered the pendant at his neck. _Do you have any idea how to get this thing back to its original size?_

_**I have none, except to simply concentrate and will it to become larger.**_

_****I suppose that's worth a shot._ Kyle closed his eyes and put the image of the pendant at the focus of his mind's eye. He still had no idea how it had become smaller in the first place, but he guessed it might have been that he willed it to become smaller – and it had. _Maybe the reverse can happen, eh?_

__Abruptly, he saw a bright glow shining through his eyelids. The light wasn't harsh, but it was definitely bright, and if his eyes had been open, possibly blinding. As it was, by the time the light faded, he was seeing a delightful array of greens and purples. 

He forced his eyes to open, and to his surprise, there'd been a drastic change in the shape of the afghan around him. Now it seemed to be surrounding something else. He tossed the blanket aside with his right arm— 

The Millennium Shield, now in its full glory, was strapped to his right forearm. The shield was so large that it nearly occluded his entire right hand from view; if he closed his hand into a fist, he wouldn't be able to see it at all. The straps were made of durable-looking brown leather, and there seemed to be no obvious contact point between the straps and the back of the shield. It was almost as if the straps were fused with the metal. 

_Whoa._

__-- 

As time continued to pass, Kyle continued to pack his things in preparation for leaving his Indiana home. By the time the date for graduation arrived, his apartment was nearly bare, thanks to the movers that had arrived the day before. His plan was to leave that night. 

After the movers had finished with his place, he'd gone out to the barber shop to get his hair drastically reduced from what it used to be. When he came out, no longer was it the long, stringy black hair he'd gone in with, but instead down to normal-length, light brown. Upon his arrival for commencement, he drew several stares from his classmates. 

The entire time he waited through graduation, he shifted around, feeling uncomfortable in the robes and cap. _I should just relax and enjoy the moment. I'm finally done with high school. I passed with flying colors, made high honors, and managed to make myself proud all at once. Not many people can say that. Especially not many in my position._

_**Indeed. So enjoy this time. Savor it. This is your time now, Kyle. Do with it what you will.**_

_****_With that endorsement, Kyle made a conscious effort to ignore the discomfort of the robe and cap, and when his name was called to receive his diploma, he took it with pride. 

-- 

Chubs was at Kyle's apartment when his friend returned to the place for the last time. More specifically, he was sitting outside the door, shuffling his cards. As Kyle approached, Chubs glanced up, smiled, and asked, "One for the road?" 

Kyle grinned, pleased to oblige. 

-- 

One Month Later 

Trenton University, Oregon 

-- 

If there was one thing Kyle had quickly learned from this place, it was that classes were a lot easier than they were made out to be and teachers were a lot less harsh than their syllabi claimed they were. Not only that, but it was tougher than it seemed to simply look Monica up in the student directory and give her a phone call. He'd yet to come across her in any of his classes, but then again, this _was_ the summer term. He couldn't imagine she was taking all that many. He knew he wasn't. Only three classes on tap this term. 

Kyle yawned as he stepped out of the latest Government session a full half hour earlier than the teacher had originally intended to dismiss. 

Theoris admonished Kyle. **_You spend half your time in that class yawning. Why did you schedule it for this time frame if you cannot keep yourself focused on the lesson?_**

**__**I've got a recording of the entire lecture. I can take notes on it later. As you saw, Mr. Hoskins doesn't care whether or not students sleep in his class; if they can ace the material, they'll pass the class. 

_**Nonetheless, it should not be condoned.**_

_****Other classes, it isn't, don't get that wrong. Some teachers make exceptions, others don't. I'll take notes on the lecture when I get back to the apartment._

_**Make sure you do. I am always with you, you know.**_

_****Yes, Mom._ Kyle scoffed and made his way to the student cafeteria. 

The place wasn't very full. A lot of the students preferred to go out to Burger King or McDonald's if they wanted something for lunch. As it was, Kyle had already eaten two bowls of cereal two hours ago, so he wasn't feeling particularly hungry. _Thirsty, though_. 

With that thought in mind, he stopped by the bookstore – just outside the cafeteria – and grabbed a bottle of root beer out of the nearest convenient fridge. 

"Hi, there." The cashier smiled at him. 

"Hey. How's going?" Kyle asked idly, spying the gum rack. 

"Going fine." She cocked her head at him. "I think I remember you. Kyle, right?" 

He nodded, eyeing her suspiciously. "Yeah... what about it?" 

"I'm Colleen Miles, I was in a few classes with you in high school." 

Kyle blinked. "Oh. Yeah, I remember you." 

She grinned. "Good. Kinda hard to forget you." 

"I'll bet," he scoffed. He placed the root beer on the counter. 

"One dollar. You've changed a bunch; I almost didn't recognize you." 

Kyle handed over the money. "Most people who knew me probably would have the same difficulty." 

"No doubt. I like the hair. The contacts, too. And the clothes, and absence of tattoos." 

"Good to know my appearance is now becoming as bland as that of the rest of the world." Kyle snorted. 

She laughed. "What, you think my tastes are bland?" 

"Hardly." Kyle noted her shirt and shorts were conspicuously devoid of any insignia or insulting phrases. "I like your taste in clothes as opposed to the taste, or lack of such, that most others in our school had." 

"Amen to that." 

Kyle opened his soda and took a swig. "So what're you doing here? Nearest job opportunity you could find? Wouldn't surprise me – job market's not all that great back in Indy..." 

"Close enough. I wanted to go to this school, and there was an opening here in the store, so I took it." 

"Sounds good." 

"What about you?" 

"Eh, I'm here for the writing." Kyle indicated his backpack, stuffed with rumpled papers and equally rumpled books. "Lots of stuff to go through." 

She nodded. "I remember seeing you writing a lot of stuff. I looked over your shoulder to see it once... looked pretty dismal, but it was a great style. I'll bet you'll do well. Have you looked into a writer's guild around here?" 

Kyle shook his head. "No... wasn't aware of one, anyway. There ought to be, though. I've only been here for a couple weeks." 

"I'm told there is one. You might want to check it out. Maybe I'll take a look, too. For all you know, they might publish materials. Make a little money off it." 

"I'll look into it, thanks." Kyle nodded at her, then headed into the cafeteria and took an unoccupied booth. He pulled out a notebook and began to doodle around the margins, trying to find visual inspiration to write poetry. 

**_Are you sure you can afford to goof off like this?_**

**__**Sure I'm sure. My next class is Intro to Computers. I already know just about everything in it. 

_**Is not the goal of your attending this school to learn? What will you learn from a course you already know the materials for?**_

_****That's not the point. I need to prove that I'm literate in this subject. And I am, so yes, I can afford to blow it off._

_**You are paying money for something to be "blown off"?**_

_****If I didn't, I wouldn't graduate to the next level of education. It's crazy, but that's how it works._ Kyle continued to doodle; most of what he had were simply random marks and squiggles in the margins.**__**

**_I do not know if I would have even wished to survive to see such madness. I much prefer the simplicity of the military._**

**__**Even the military isn't so simple anymore. Kyle snorted, an amused sound, and wrote a pair of stanzas. 

"A thousand years, and more to spare 

When down the path we go 

We lose our minds, our lives, our hope 

Beneath, we're fraught with woe 

Yet on the path come those who say 

They'll be here 'til the end 

They know naught but happiness 

When you say they're your friend." 

Kyle sighed and sat back. _You're my friend, Theoris._

_**Thank you.**_

_****_Kyle's eyes scanned the cafeteria, which was beginning to fill with various hungry college students. He glanced around, saw several people from his Government class had chosen to blow off Burger King in favor of the cafeteria. 

_Can't imagine why. Inflated prices, mini-burgers..._

__Kyle's eyes halted, though, when he spotted one person sitting alone in a corner booth. Her lithe form was stretched out very comfortably across the curved seat, and she had a thick book propped on one knee. 

He blinked. _Jade...?_

As though sensing he was watching, Jade raised her eyes from her book for a moment, then went back to reading as though she had seen nothing more than the usual bustle of people. 

Kyle blinked again. _Just how many people from my old home do I get to meet around here, anyway?_

_**This is Jade?**_

_****Yeah. I've told you about her before, right?_

_**Yes, you briefly mentioned her just after you won Sanga of the Thunder.**_

_****Heh, I should've done more than that... particularly since she's on the hunt for cards like that one._Kyle closed his notebook, got up from his seat, and approached the table. There was no mistaking her; that was indeed Jade. 

"So," she said, without looking up, once he had reached her table. "It seems I've let you find me once again." 

Kyle grinned slightly. "Oh, is that how it worked? You 'let' me see you that first time?" 

She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. "If I didn't want you to see me, you wouldn't have." 

Kyle cocked his head. "You wanted me to spot you then? You wanted me to see you now?" 

"Obviously. Do you have some obsession with being taller than me, or are you just unable to sit whenever I'm around?" 

That broke the ice. Kyle chuckled audibly and sat down. 

"So," she inquired, sliding a bookmark into the central crease of her book, "how was your day in the hive of drones?" 

Kyle loosed another chuckle as he shifted around in his seat. "Boring. Sometimes I find myself wondering why I suddenly became so... 'normal.'" 

"I can only guess that the idea seemed attractive at the time." From her backpack she extracted a bag of almonds before continuing, "Want some?" She held the bag out after taking a handful for herself. 

Kyle couldn't help but lick his lips at the prospect; he hadn't had almonds in a while. "Sure." He took a couple and chewed thoughtfully. 

"I hear congratulations are in order for you. I admit," she said conversationally, "I hadn't expected that of Zack. It's not often people surprise me, but I have to ask: did he throw the duel?" 

Kyle leaned back and crossed his arms. "I doubt he was quite that desperate. Question is, how did you find out? That was a private duel." 

"A little birdie told me. Unless you're going to deny that you have Sanga of the Thunder...?" She trailed off, raising an eyebrow. 

He considered it, then shook his head. "No, I won't. You're right, I have it now. What's it to you?" 

She brushed the question aside by holding out the bag again. "More almonds?" 

Kyle hesitated for a moment. _Should I trust her?_

_**It is free food, Kyle. Whether her agenda is to acquire your card or otherwise, she is offering something I would never have ignored during my life.**_

_****_He nodded, both to Theoris and to Jade, reached out, and took a couple more. "Yeah... sure." 

"You didn't have to look quite so suspicious," she said idly. "They're just almonds. Really." She stretched a little in her seat. "To answer your question, I want Sanga... but you knew that already. So why don't you ask what's really on your mind?" 

Kyle huffed. "I thought I had some talent in hiding what I thought or felt. Must've lost it in the transfer from monster to human being." He leaned back in his seat and exchanged his suspicion for curiosity. "You were watching Zack before. You've been keeping track of me since that duel. Am I right so far?" 

"Maybe. Would that make you nervous?" 

"It made him nervous. Not me, though, not really. Just curious as to why. I hardly had any talent in the game when we first talked." 

"I wouldn't say you didn't have _any_ talent, Kyle." Jade responded, fixing him with her green eyes, "I did challenge you, after all, and you said it yourself, why would I want to duel a weakling? Besides, now you're the keeper of a Labyrinth Brother. So unless you stole it, bought it, or found it gift-wrapped under an evergreen, you must have been good enough to win it. And that makes you worth watching." 

"Maybe," Kyle conceded. "But that doesn't change the fact that I didn't know what I was doing back then. If you 'let' me see you before, as you claim to have, why? Why waste your time with a guppy when the big fish was just waiting for you to cast your lure?" 

"Because this guppy isn't running with the rest of the school, and it catches my attention." 

He raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. In the meantime, I suppose you're watching whatever poor soul has Suijin, as well?" 

"Oh, 'poor soul'," Jade scoffed. "Listen to you. You make it sound like I'm stalking people." 

Kyle offered a pointed look. "From what I've heard, the word's accurate where Zack was concerned. Personally, I don't care whether you chase after me or not. I don't think you'll find much on me, and what I _do_ have, I'll gladly share. I've had worse than a poor soul, you know. I've lived a long time without a soul at all. Meanwhile, here you are, your purpose is set, and whatever your trick is, you've got every advantage. Yours is the enlightened soul. And I've no soul, which means that to ensure the balance, whoever has Suijin is the one with the poor soul." His grin returned. 

Jade just looked at him for a moment, as though trying to figure out if he was serious or not. Then a slow, genuine smile crept across her face. "Not bad," she praised. "Not bad at all. Don't try to tell me, though, that you haven't paid attention to people or things that could change your life." 

Kyle had the urge to grasp his pendant at those words; he tried refusing himself that temptation, but he ended up fingering it lightly. "I wouldn't dream of saying anything of the sort. If I didn't, I wouldn't look the way I do now. I went to school with that girl in the bookstore, and she only barely recognized me." 

Jade raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue, not missing the almost-restrained gesture. 

Kyle brushed his hand through his now short, light hair, a direct contrast to the black ponytail he'd had at their first meeting. "I don't know if I could even explain what happened. And even if I were able to, the story would sound almost too fantastic to be true. But..." He sighed. "Once upon a time, I was the worst of the worst. Path of self-destruction and all that." 

He pulled up the right sleeve of his jacket, where the remainder of one of his tattoos lurked as a collection of fading ink splotches under his skin. "Not quite finished with the laser removal yet, but I'm on the last leg." 

"What brought about this metamorphosis?" 

Kyle's finger played lightly with the pendant. "A trip to a far-away land." He smirked. "I can only hope that it all comes out to a fairy-tale ending, me living happily ever after." 

Jade opened her mouth as though so say something sarcastic, but closed it again after a moment. "Well. I suppose we can always hope for fairy-tale endings." 

Kyle cocked his head. "Have you got one?" 

"Getting a little redundant, aren't you? You already know I want the Gate Guardian," Jade replied. 

He decided not to press the issue and leaned back in his seat. "Are you going to try to find a way to get to me the way you got to Zack?" 

"What do you care?" 

"Well, I'd just as soon you not scare the hell out of me like you did with him." 

That earned him a grin. "Am I somehow terrifying?" 

"Far as he's concerned, you are. Me... I dunno." 

She seemed pleased with the answer. "Well, when you find out, let me know... I like to know how other people... view me..." 

He offered an incredulous grin. "You do, huh? And how do _you_ view _me_?" 

"Again, what do you think?" 

His grin turned wry. "Not gonna happen this time, Jade. I'm not psychic, and unlike myself, you're quite unreadable. If I were to go by a guess, I'd say I might have earned a little respect for winning Sanga... but beyond that, I haven't a clue." 

"Then you'd be right," she answered promptly. "And I'm not ashamed to admit that when I first saw you, I thought you were just a bumbling duelist with no talent and a few lucky draws. Now I see that I was wrong, and for once, that pleases me. You're turning into some decent competition." 

"I'll choose not to take offense at that because at first, I _was_ nothing but a bumbling duelist with no talent and the occasional lucky draw," he responded smoothly. "Nowadays I get a few lucky booster packs and make the best use of what I've got." 

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, his manner frank. "So, what now? Are you going to challenge me to a duel in the interests of getting me to hand over my one and only trump card?" 

"You made my point for me," she said bluntly. "Sanga is your one and only trump card. I said you'd gotten better and I meant it – but you're still not good enough to take me on and win. So wait and train yourself up... and when you get to a level that interests me, you'll be the first to know." 

"And allow yourself a greater risk of losing Kazejin?" he asked, an eyebrow rising. "I was under the impression you enjoyed crushing duelists underfoot." 

"I enjoy taking some duelists down a couple of pegs, yes," she agreed without hesitation, "but for serious challenges, I prefer to wait. Besides, I _gain_ the Labyrinth Brothers, not lose them." She looked at him confidently. "Don't be so eager to lose Sanga to me, Kyle." 

A corner of his mouth turned up at that. "All right, then." 

He glanced at his watch, which told him he had ten minutes to get across the street and to the media center for class. "Well, I should be going. It's been nice talking with you, though." 

He got up and slung his backpack over one shoulder. He turned to leave, then glanced over his shoulder. "I think I've made my decision. Zack may be afraid of you, but I'm not." 

She gave him a smile that could be interpreted as feral. "Good," she proclaimed. "It's more fun that way." 

"What is?" 

"Winning." 

He scoffed as he turned back around. "I'm sure you'll have your day. For now, have a good one." 

**_That will not be the last of her._**

_Long as we both have Labyrinth Brothers, there's never going to be a "last of her". Soon enough it'll come down to her against me._

_**Then you had best prepare yourself.**_

_Just watch me._

------- 

_Thus ends this chapter! Coming up, Kyle receives an invitation to a tournament cloaked in _

_mystery... and how is Zack involved? Stay tuned and find out! Meantime, please review!_


	29. Shrouds

_A/N: And here's Chapter 29. Enjoying so far? I hope so!_

------- 

One Month Later 

-- 

Kyle sighed and rubbed his forehead as he got back to his apartment, his day of classroom hassles finished – for the moment, at any rate. 

_I thought you were here to help me_, he thought wryly. 

**_There is only so much I am capable of assisting you with during this day and age. I have no concept of what you call "literature". During my time, there was hardly even a written language, and if your history classes recount accurately, I am to understand that there would not be one for another millennium. Our tales were told through word-of-mouth and by art._**

_Yeah, yeah. Make up all the excuses you want. You just want me to do it myself._ Kyle smirked. 

**_Would not any parent want their child to show proficiency in a subject based on the merit of the child and none other?_**

_You hardly qualify as my father, Theoris._

_**At this moment, I am the closest thing you have to one.**_

_No argument here._ Kyle picked up his mail, noting the stack was unusually high today. _This might be good. More and more publishers are sending me stuff every day. Maybe I really can do this?_

_**You have been pushing hard to reach your goal, Kyle, as hard as anyone could be expected to, I believe. It should follow, naturally, that your efforts are rewarded.**_

_Let's hope so. In this society, it's a lot harder. It's not like yours, Theoris... we didn't have a destiny planned out for us from birth. Them's the brakes of capitalism._

_**...I am sure your language teacher would be quite proud of you for that last sentence.**_

Kyle laughed aloud. _Sarcasm? I think I like that on you... but don't overdo it._

_**And become like Jade? I think not.**_

Kyle laughed again. _Okay, okay. Now... first thing's first. Need to buckle down and do my Lit studies._ He unlocked the door to his apartment as he continued to look through his mail, then quickly passed through and locked the door behind him. _But even before that, I need to make sure not too many people stare at me for laughing at myself._

He tossed his backpack into his computer chair, arguably the best chair in the place, and rummaged through it until he found and pulled out his Literature book. _Rhet and Comp can be horribly boring sometimes... but at least Poe is the slightest bit interesting._

_**If morbid.**_

_****Definitely morbid,_ Kyle agreed. _But that's what makes it interesting!_

_**If you say so.**_

Kyle rolled his eyes. _Whatever._ He sat down on his couch and opened his book up to the latest Poe entry his class had been assigned to read and write an analytical essay on. _"To Helen". Already read the poem... but just how am I supposed to analyze it? It's comparison, mostly. Simile._

_**Look over the second question, Kyle. It asks what of Helen's qualities the comparisons suggest. So perhaps your analysis should focus on this.**_

_Maybe. Though that last stanza makes him sound more like Dante, mourning his never-to-be relationship with Beatrice._

_**I was given to understand you have never read Inferno.**_

_I haven't gotten all the way through it, no, but I've read bits and pieces of it. Plus I've taken a look at his biography. Pretty obsessive guy._

_**...Read Inferno this weekend. Then we shall both know whether your judgment is accurate.**_

Kyle scoffed. _C'mon, Theoris, I've got enough to do this week! I've got the PowerPoint project for Computers, then the research paper for Lit, and an analytical paper on that Government book. You always can tell finals are coming up when you've got a workload like this one._

_**All the more reason you should get your homework finished on time. That way you shall have time for Inferno.** **Now, get to work. It's in your best interest.**_

Another scoff escaped Kyle's lips. _Sheesh. You're about as bad as my–_

_**Do NOT compare me to your parents.**_

The teen's jaw dropped as he realized the faux pas he'd come dangerously close to committing. _Oh my god... Theoris, I'm sorry..._

_**As you should be. I know it is in your best interest not because I say so, but because you are the one who chose this line of study. Not your parents, but you. It would not do to fail a class you chose to participate in.**_

_You're right, you're absolutely right._ Kyle sighed and pulled out a pen and paper. _So. Time for note-taking._

-- 

An hour, two hours passed, and Kyle was stuck on his analysis paper for Poe. He sat back and sighed. _I've got all the notes I need, don't I? Got an outline, point-by-point... so where's the inspiration?_

The phone rang. 

Kyle huffed and picked up his cordless. _Just when I thought things couldn't get any more hectic..._ "Hello?" 

_"McCraine?"_

He blinked, blinked again. "Monica?" 

_"Duh. Who else in this region knows you by McCraine?"_

"Probably all of my teachers," he responded. "How's it going?" 

_"Going fine. Got a five-class roster, though, so I'm busy as all hell."_

"Well, then, I won't waste your time. What can I do for you tonight?" 

_"You got Hoskins for Government?"_

"Yeah." 

_"Good, because I'm stuck on the final analysis paper he assigned. And considering you're about the only one I know out here... I wanted to know if..."_ She sighed. _"God, I feel like I'm taking advantage of you being nice to me–"_

"You need some help with the paper?" Kyle asked. 

_"...Yeah. Yeah, I need help on it."_ Static crackled across the line; Monica was blowing out a breath. _"There, I said it."_

Kyle shrugged amicably. "Sure, I can help you out on it. Come on over, I'd be happy to do what I can." 

_"How far are you on yours?"_

"Wrote up the outline yesterday, got my thesis statement out of the way before class this morning. I'd been planning to write up a couple paragraphs this evening." 

_"What's your thesis?"_

"Justification of the Fourth Amendment." 

_"Good God, why pick an amendment like that one in these times? The most prominent ones are the First and Fifth, you know that."_

Kyle smirked. "I picked it because I didn't think anyone else would. And you've pretty much proven me right. Hoskins had better give me a good grade." 

_"We'll see. Obviously I'm not doing that one. How much about the other amendments do you know?"_

"Enough to analyze most of them. Come on over and I'll help you out. Sound good?" 

_"Fine by me. I don't suppose you need help on anything?"_

"Depends on whether you've got Meyer for Rhet and Comp Two." 

_"Nah, got her for Rhet and Comp One."_

"Figures. Did she give you a research paper? Or something on Poe?" 

_"No, but I've done a couple research papers for my other classes. So what? Do you need some help with that, then?"_

"Might be nice, yeah. Plus this analysis on a poem by our favorite raven. I'm kinda stuck on it, could use some insight." 

_"We'll hammer something out. I'll be over in, say, an hour?"_

"Sounds good." 

-- 

Monica was true to her word, and within an hour, she found herself knocking on Kyle McCraine's door. She was shaking her head as she did so, however; she couldn't help but wonder to herself what the hell she'd been thinking to actually ask him for help. 

It was only through forcefully reminding herself that he'd done nothing but be nice to her all this calendar year that got her to decide she was doing the right thing. She'd not really bonded with any of her classmates... she only considered Julian an acquaintance, and he was the closest classmate she had. She didn't have any classes alongside Kyle, and she found herself wondering if that might change next term. 

Kyle's door swung open, and she was greeted by a much different-looking Kyle McCraine than the one she'd expected. He was wearing a muscle shirt, and she could see that his complexion was not the pasty, pale one she'd come to know, but rather a healthy moderate shade, just slightly tan. His arms were bereft of their many tattoos, another great surprise – he still had one on his upper left arm, one that looked rather like an eye she'd drawn for her seventh grade history class during their studies of Eastern civilizations, but beyond that, there was nothing to even indicate he'd had tattoos in the first place. 

There were two surprises, though, that were the greatest among all the ones she encountered in his appearance. He did not smell the slightest bit of cigarette smoke, nor did the interior of his apartment, and his hair had been cut short and the dye taken out, to reveal a light brown that actually looked very good on him. 

Her reaction to all of these changes was a simple one. She stood there and goggled at him. 

For his part, he grinned, unperturbed. "Wow. Nice to see you again, Monica. You look great. Come on in, I've got some soda if you'd like." 

"Um..." She forced herself to nod and to step inside. "Sure. Sure, I'd like some soda... that is, if you've got some Dew." 

"By the truckload. It's the only thing that'll keep me awake at night to work on my reports." He snickered. "That and Pepsi. The original stuff, not the vanilla or the blue crap they had going a while." 

She nodded again as she made for his couch. "Yeah, I had some of the blue stuff while it was on the shelf... probably the most worthless seventy-five cents I've ever invested..." 

He gave an appreciative laugh. "Well, no worries. Not only are the drinks around here free, they're palatable, too." 

"How can I go wrong?" She sat down and shrugged her backpack off. "Unless you tell me it's diet soda." 

He shook his head. "No way. Heard what that can do to your teeth. I figure I've made enough mistakes where that's concerned." 

"Good for you." She pulled a couple books out of her backpack, along with a notebook and a pencil. "Okay, so we both need some help. Let's get started, shall we?" 

-- 

For the next two hours, they conducted their business both formally and informally, showing each other what mistakes had been made, what still needed to be done, and giving each other encouragement where appropriate. Being who they were also gave them the unique opportunity to feel they could be as honest with each other as humanly possible, and so they didn't dole out praise lightly – not even Kyle, who had long since resolved to be as civil with Monica as he could be. 

At the end of those two hours, Kyle was well on his way to resolving his research paper and analysis on Poe, while Monica had found her inspiration for the Government analysis. They'd barely said anything to each other in the last fifteen minutes, in fact, so engrossed were they in writing out their notes and thoughts. Both of them chose to stop when their wrists began to cramp up – Kyle's wrist held out only about thirty seconds beyond Monica's. 

"Ow," he gasped, and he leaned back and shook his wrist out. 

She scoffed at him. "Too many thoughts?" 

"Yeah." 

"Same here. Guess this was a good idea." 

"Looks that way." 

They regarded each other a moment. She broke the awkward silence. "I, um... never did thank you. For the yellow roses, I mean. I know I was a bitch about it before–" 

"Hardly." 

"–but they really did brighten my day. You were right, I was feeling alone." She sighed. "And those girls, the ones chasing me everywhere... they had even less inside than I did. Their entire existence seemed to rotate around me. It was like, I could hardly get anything done. I had to satisfy their image of me as a prom queen first." 

"Well, after your uncle, though..." Kyle cocked his head. "You got rid of them. You were all by yourself for a while." 

"And that's how I wanted it, too. There wasn't anyone around who could make me feel better, so why should I have even bothered to ask?" She shrugged. "But those roses... they did something for me. Made me feel better, I guess. Maybe even..." She trailed off. 

"Maybe even what?" he inquired. 

"Maybe even... made me feel wanted. I mean, it's not like my parents ever paid attention to me, unless I was doing something they didn't like." She scoffed. "Dad's a lawyer, Mom's a self-satisfied, power-mad dominatrix. She always had to control me whenever I wasn't behaving to her standards." 

"Which is why you went out with all those guys?" 

"Kind of. I guess it was my way of saying, 'Screw you, woman. I can live my life they way I want it.'" She looked at him. "I wasn't sure I believed it before when I first heard it, but I might believe it now, if you told me it was true. Is it true that you moved out of your parents' house because you hated them?" 

He bit his lip. "Hard to answer. What I hated wasn't _them_, I don't think... what I hated was the way they were trying to force me into a life I didn't want to lead. And it just got to a point where I couldn't stand to be stifled by them anymore, so... yeah. I took off because I just couldn't live with them anymore." 

"Hnh. Kinda makes me wish I'd done the same thing. It's hard to be your own person when everyone just expects you to be _their_ image of you." 

He frowned. "Don't tell me you did all that stuff back in grade school just because you were living up to everyone's expectations." 

"No, I did a lot of it because I felt like it. Purely to satisfy my own ego. And then people built their expectations around that." 

"Hmm." 

There was another prolonged silence between the two of them, and once more, Monica was the one who broke it, standing up as she did so. "Well. I guess I'd better get going. Got classes in the morning and I'm not paying to miss them." 

Kyle nodded. "Probably best. Look, uh..." He scratched the back of his neck. "Would you like to maybe... get something to eat sometime? There's a Starbuck's over on 3rd Street, and I don't think the local cops have a warrant on us yet..." 

A slight smile crossed her features at that one, but the awkwardness of the question hung there for a moment. A thoughtful look entered her gaze. "You sure you want to be seen hanging out with the likes of me? I _am_ your worst enemy, after all." 

He shrugged. "In Indiana, maybe you were. Here in Oregon, though? Middle of nowhere? There's always the chance to start over. And the question isn't whether _I_ want to be seen with _you_, otherwise I wouldn't have asked." He smiled. "Question is, do _you_ mind hanging out with the likes of _me_?" 

Before she had a chance to answer, though, there was a knock on the door. Both of them turned at the noise, and Kyle's brow furrowed. "Strange. I'm not expecting anyone else." 

"You didn't order a pizza?" 

"That's a joke, right?" Kyle got up and approached the door. "Who is it?" he called. 

No answer came. 

At least, none of the verbal sort. 

But a small card shuffled underneath the edge of the door, followed by the sound of footsteps quickly leaving the scene. 

Monica, being the one closer to the door, likewise frowned, then bent down and picked up the card. She raised her eyebrows at it. "Doesn't have a name on it. Just says 'Duelist' across the front." 

Kyle jumped across the room and flung the door open wide. 

No one was there. 

"Huh." He closed the door again and looked to Monica. "Let me see it." 

She cooperatively handed the card to him and watched him as he opened it. His lips moved, but barely any sound escaped, and what sound did escape was unintelligible muttering. Still, it was obviously intriguing, because one of Kyle's eyebrows rose as he concluded reading the text inside. 

"What is it?" she asked. 

"An invitation to a tournament," he answered, showing her the card. She read it. 

_You are hereby invited to attend a privately-sponsored Duel Monsters tournament hosted by Abigail Madison, vice president of Madison Enterprises, subsidiary of the globally renowned Kaiba Corporation. Should you wish to act upon this invitation, you are hereby instructed to leave this notice in its original location of delivery within one (1) hour of its arrival with your printed name and signature on the back._

She blinked. "Pretty terse, isn't it?" 

"I'd say so." He slowly made his way over to the kitchenette. "What does Madison Enterprises do?" 

Monica searched her memory. "Well... back when KaibaCorp was an arms industry, they did oceanographic research. Probably weapons for submarines. Torpedoes, countermeasures, things of that sort." 

"And their vice president is into Duel Monsters?" 

She shrugged. "Most people are. The game _has_ taken the world by storm, you know." 

"True." _Sounds almost like something Kaiba would do, though. But why invite me to a tournament hosted by a company that's run by arguably one of the most wealthy moguls on the planet? It'd be a waste of time, I'm not that good–_

_Unless, somehow, it has to do with me having Sanga._

_But who would know about that, besides myself and Zack? Jade, obviously, but would she have anything to do with it?_

"Kyle?" 

He blinked. "Huh?" 

Monica chuckled. "Lost in thought, there, McCraine?" 

"Um. Yeah. Unfamiliar territory and all that." 

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't fade. "I have to get going." 

"What about Starbuck's?" 

Her smile widened, just the slightest bit. "After the finals, get back to me about it. And don't stop pestering me until I give you an answer, how's that?" 

"Fair enough. But how's pestering you going to get you to say yes?" 

"For all you know, it won't." She smirked and opened the door. "I'll see you later." 

------- 

_And that she will, but not before Kyle finds out what's going on with this mysterious invitation. Up next, Kyle finds out what makes him so special – and what the vice president of Madison Enterprises is searching for! Stay tuned!_


	30. Reality Check

_A/N: And here's Chapter 30! Wow. Chapter 30. How did we get here so quickly? And we've still got so much to go! Oh, the suspense, the intrigue, the... length! Yes, length!_

_Lumen: Well, you'll have to see how the little relationship between Kyle and Monica is going to turn out for yourself. Feel free to make assumptions, of course; that's one of the fun things about reading a story, trying to predict what's going to happen!_

_Monica: Well, her love life isn't much to brag about at this point. Let's see what her future brings, hmm?_

_Wolf: You'll see her true intentions soon enough, I imagine. And there might be a couple twists even you might not expect!_

------- 

Kyle sighed as the door closed behind Monica. He wasn't sure whether or not he wanted a relationship with her like Chubs thought he wanted... but whatever was happening to their relationship, Kyle only knew that it was turning into something he'd never had with anyone before. 

Some part of him – a rather significant part – wondered if she felt the same way. 

He looked back down at the notice in his hand, and frowned at it. "So," he said aloud. "What do we do about you?" 

**_Obviously that invitation was issued you for a reason. Your merit, perhaps?_**

__Kyle shook his head. _That wouldn't make sense. I haven't dueled enough on the ladder to become noticeable. If big tournaments needed competitors, they'd invite those on fourth and fifth tiers, not third. They'd wait for third-tier duelists to figure it out for themselves._

_**You said it yourself, they would practice these customs at a large gathering. If it is not a large one...**_

_Then they would have even less reason to invite me,_ Kyle pointed out. _I'm not that good yet. If this is about anything, it's got to be about Sanga._

_**I believe there is a term concerning your feelings... some way to describe them... is this term... "schizophrenia"?**_

In spire of himself, Kyle laughed. _No, Theoris. I think the word you're looking for is "paranoia"._

**_Ah. Why is it, then, that I continue to hear you mockingly refer to yourself as one suffering from "schizophrenia"?_**

_Schizophrenia is a mental illness. Most people associate it with the symptom of hearing imaginary voices._

_**So people would consider you to be one with schizophrenia if you told them of me, correct?**_

_Har har. But if it couldn't be about Sanga, then go ahead and give me another plausible reason why a corporate mogul would suddenly take interest in a low-talent college student._

_**Random selection?**_

Kyle hummed at that possibility, but then shook his head once more. _Nah. It's a gut feeling. It's something to do with the fact I've got Sanga, it has to be. Didn't Jade herself say that I'm worth watching as long as I have a card like that?_

_**She did. But frankly, I fail to understand the hype of this game, especially when one considers how dangerous it used to be...**_

_There you go again, getting all morosely cryptic. You're going to have to tell me everything sooner or later. I may not be able to understand what I saw in your memories, but I saw them, nonetheless. And if these magicians turn up..._

_**They will. They were after the shield. They still will be.**_

_Now who's paranoid?_

_**It is not paranoid, Kyle. It is simply... inevitable.**_

_Whatever._ Kyle's eyes refocused on the invitation. _So. Back to this. I'll admit I'm curious._

_**Then sign it and sate your curiosity when you arrive at the gathering.**_

_You make it sound so straightforward._

_**It is precisely that.**_

Kyle shrugged and grabbed a nearby pen. In the middle of writing his last name, however, his mind got ahead of his wrist and he wrote an "a" where the first "c" was supposed to go. He groaned and muttered a curse, then tried his best to correct for the mistake. 

**_Such language, Kyle,_** Theoris admonished. **_They offered you the invitation; surely they will know your name whether or not you recreate the symbols correctly._**

_What do you know about my language? You don't speak English._

_**That point is irrelevant when I can hear your thoughts. You associate that word with a detestable animal by-product and powerful negative emotion. We had similar "forbidden" terms in my time. Keep that in mind.**_

Kyle rolled his eyes as he put his signature below his printed name. _Yeah, yeah..._ He strolled back over to the door. _I guess I'll just leave this back underneath... I'd love to see who's picking it up, though._ He grinned suddenly. _Stakeout. I'll just wait here and open the door the moment the invite disappears.****_

_****_Kyle felt waves of wry amusement. **_This should prove interesting, if nothing else._**

Kyle sat down next to the door, his back against the wall, and grabbed a book that had been carelessly tossed aside. _And while I'm waiting_, he thought, pointedly ignoring Theoris' comment, _I'll do some more studying._

-- 

**_Kyle._**

The only sounds in the apartment were the gentle hum of the refrigerator and Kyle's rhythmic breathing... which had reached a volume level dangerously close to that of a snore. He'd fallen forward into the book he'd been reading and was now using it as a pillow. 

**_Kyle. Wake up._**

Kyle stirred. "Hrrm... what?" he muttered. 

**_The invitation is gone._**

At that, the teen's eyes snapped wide open. _What?!_

Theoris didn't repeat himself; if he'd had a body, he would have shaken his head and tried – failingly, of course – to suppress a smile. As it was, his amusement was not lost on his corporeal companion. Kyle glared in annoyance (at nothing) as he looked down at the edge of the door. Sure enough, the small card had gone AWOL. 

Hurriedly, he got to his feet and flung the door open. 

He was just in time to see a black sedan pull away from the curb. The windows of the car were tinted, so he couldn't even make out any shapes within. 

Kyle's frown deepened. _Jeez... what's with all this cloak and dagger, anyway?_

**_Look to your feet, Kyle._**

_Huh?_ Kyle did as he was told, and saw that there had been another notice tucked slightly under the door, although it evidently hadn't made it far enough to be seen from the inside. This one, unlike the last, was inside an envelope. On the front were stylized versions of the letters "M.E." _Madison Enterprises, no doubt._

He ripped open the envelope and found inside a full-size letter, typed and on letterhead from Madison Enterprises. He rolled his eyes. _No expense spared._ His eyes scanned the paper. 

_Mr. Kyle McCraine:_

_Congratulations! You have been invited to attend the Madison Enterprises exclusive Duel Monsters tournament. This tournament is meant as a tribute to those exceptional people whose accomplishments in the field of Duel Monsters have drawn significant attention. By signing the initial invitation you were issued, you have thereby signified interest in participating, so sit back and enjoy yourself as I tell you more about what your achievement means._

_Madison Enterprises is inviting duelists from across the country to participate in the tournament being organized. You will be competing against 127 other duelists for the chance to make yourself even more visible in the Duel Monsters world, acquisition of a virtual treasure trove of rare cards of your choice, and cash prizes._

_This tournament has a requirement of those who participate: those who attend must wager at least one (1) Duel Monsters card of third-level rarity (super rare) or higher. All wagered cards will be submitted to judges before the tournament begins, and placed in a lottery. No two wager cards can be alike, making the speed of your acceptance or rejection of this invitation even more critical, unless you happen to have a surprise no one else does!_

_The prizes for this tournament are as follows:_

_Finalist – his/her choice of half of wagered cards; a check for $10,000; a one-tier increase in duelist rank_

_Semi-Finalist – his/her choice of one-quarter of wagered cards; a check for $5000_

_Quarter-Finalists – one-eighth of wagered cards (randomly selected); a check for $2500_

_The commencement proceedings are scheduled to take place at the Madison Enterprises headquarters in Los Angeles, California, on July 20th at 6:15 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, and the tournament will run throughout the day, culminating with the final duels starting at 9:00 p.m. that evening._

_Obviously, many of your opponents – and most likely you, as well – do not reside in a convenient location near the Madison Enterprises headquarters; therefore, transportation will be provided to all those who continue to express interest in participating, absolutely free of charge. And if there are any other concessions we can afford you, we'll be happy to do what we can._

_Enclosed, you will find a card with a phone number you will need to call to make your reservation confirmed for the tournament. You need only call that number, and you will become one of the 128 registered to compete in this exciting event; you will also be sent information regarding the new conventions this tournament will follow. You may also call that number for more information about the tournament, or to cancel your reservation to make room for another duelist of your excellent caliber._

_I hope to see you there!_

_Abigail Madison_

_Senior Vice President_

_Madison Enterprises_

His frown continued to deepen until it almost hurt to push it any further. _This gets more and more suspicious as we go. I'll bet somebody's trying to get me to wager Sanga._ He looked up at the calendar. _July 20th. That's coming up next week. Pretty short notice. And that's only a couple days after my finals. I'll be exhausted from all the studying and schoolwork._

_**Then it should be even more of a challenge to you, Kyle.**_

Kyle shrugged. _Maybe. What do you think?_

_**I think it is your decision. Do you wish to participate in the tournament? I may not quite understand your currency, but you seemed very intrigued at the prospect of that amount of it. And then there are also the rare cards to consider.**_

_It's the perfect ploy. They lasso a bunch of poor patsies who don't have a lot to lose, save for their cards, and then some corporately sponsored eliminator comes sweeping in to beat the crap out of everyone else. Or worse... four eliminators. That way they get all the good cards and save all the money at the same time._

_**What were we discussing about being paranoid, Kyle? While it may be suspect that they would contact you specifically, that may easily be attributed to the theory that you were being watched during your battle with Zack – thusly they would know that you have Sanga. Not only that, but they know that you managed a rather impressive turnaround where none seemed forthcoming.**_

_Yeah, but how would they get that information?_

_**Did Monica not say that Madison Enterprises is servile to Kaiba Corporation? And did you not once tell me that Kaiba Corporation is responsible for creating the battlefields you use to bring the game to reality?**_

_What, you think that KaibaCorp keeps records on what's used on their dueling platforms? And that, in turn, Madison would also keep those records?_

_**I would.**_

_Oh, would you?_

_**When I was a soldier, I made sure to know every relevant detail I could find about every person I could possibly meet. That way I could ascertain whether they might be a threat. I believe much the same process may be occurring here.**_

_If you say so._ Kyle sighed and plunked himself down on his couch. _Well, we may not talk much anymore, but I can still contact Zack and arrange to get a super rare card or two. So that's no problem. No way am I wagering Sanga, though. That card's too important to me, and to him, for me to give up in a tournament. Especially one like this._

**_You intend to compete, then?_**

_If it's as simple as all this... and if I don't have to wager Sanga... I may as well._

Kyle searched the envelope, and a moment later, found the card he'd been looking for. That in hand, he dialed the phone number. 

-- 

"Sounds to me like they made a mistake." 

Kyle harrumphed, but didn't look up from his books. "Nope, no mistake. They said they had my name on file." 

"Maybe there's another Kyle McCraine somewhere in this country?" 

He rolled his eyes and this time looked up at Monica. "Are you trying to offend me?" 

"Not really, I'm just trying to be realistic." She was sitting opposite him, taking notes from her Government book. "Even you yourself said you're not that good yet. And if you don't think so, chances are not too many others do, either. Especially not a slave to Kaiba." 

He rolled his eyes once more. "What about you? Were you invited?" 

"Mm-hmm." 

He blinked. "Guess I should've figured that." 

"Yeah, you should have. Tournaments like this, it goes without asking. I've had my fifteen minutes and they saw it." She shrugged. "Makes sense to me." 

"You're participating, I assume." 

"Sure am. With luck, there'll be some poor bastard there with another Blue-Eyes, ripe for the taking." She grinned at him. 

He scoffed in response. "The chances of that are virtually nil." 

"How do you figure?" 

"What brainless idiot would wager a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" 

"A brainless idiot who wants to take mine, of course," she answered, her tone telling him it seemed to her the most obvious reason in the world. 

"You'd wager yours in the middle of a duel?" 

"Why not? Loads of people do it. And look how the winners benefit. Speaking of which, I'm not going in purely on the off-chance that someone there'd have one of the other two Blue-Eyes cards. Look at all the rare cards the four highest-ranking duelists get. Even if I end up as a quarter-finalist..." Her grin widened. "Just imagine the treasures that await. And the winning duelist! God, that winner would walk away completely unbeatable." 

"There's got to be a catch somewhere. Why is a senior VP running the show and not the president himself?" 

"The president is always over in Japan, kissing the ground Kaiba walks on, I'll bet," Monica snorted. 

"What're you wagering as your entry fee?" 

She frowned. "Was afraid you'd ask that. I'll tell you if you tell me." 

"Fair enough. Mine's Premature Burial." 

She raised an eyebrow. "Good call. I'm tossing up Solemn Judgment. I'd have thought that would've been used already, but nope." 

"Solemn Judgment... isn't that the trap card that pretty much keeps your opponent from doing anything worth doing?" 

"Yeah, if you cut your Life Points in half to do it. Don't have it?" 

"Nah, been sticking to the mundanes." 

She gave him a look. "A deck composed entirely of common cards is _not_ going to win a tournament like this one." 

"Oh, you're sure of that? You've dueled my deck a bunch of times already, you know I've got better than just commons." 

"And despite that, you haven't once beaten me. If you don't have the capacity to win against me, you're not going to win the tournament. It's as simple as that." 

He raised an eyebrow. "Getting a little heady, are we?" 

She threw up her arms in exasperation. "Kyle, get a clue! You're entering the tournament. So am I. If you and I both rise up through the ranks and become finalists, as unlikely as that might be, we'll have to duel each other. And so far I've seen no indication your skills and deck have improved, which means I could beat you senseless within five turns. And if, for whatever reason, I'm defeated, that means in order to win the tourney, you'll have to face off against an opponent who was even better than me. I'm not being 'heady', I'm being realistic." 

He sighed and sat back. "Your 'realism' is something I'd much prefer to avoid." 

"As would most people. Now... shall we get back to work?" 

-- 

When Kyle received the Premature Burial card via FedEx the next morning – the 18th – he was feeling somewhat anxious. This was the last day of his final exams, and the tournament was only two days away. 

_I can do this. I can do this_, he kept telling himself. 

To his surprise, there was a handwritten note inside the package alongside the well-protected card. Kyle pulled the card out first, though he knew without even needing to look that it was real. Zack had never let him down in supplying him with cards. 

The letter, though, was what stunned him. 

_Kyle,_

_I'll bet it was weird for you to get that letter from Madison. There's a reason for it. KaibaCorp has records of our duel back in Decatur. They extended the invitation to me first. When I declined, they asked me to recommend a duelist. You were the one I chose._

_Kick some ass._

------- 

_...but of course, what else could we expect from Kyle? Reactions? Thoughts? Reviews, perhaps? All are welcome, just by clicking that little "Go" button there in the corner! Stay tuned!_


	31. City of Angels

_A/N: Thus comes Chapter 31. Enjoying so far? Just let me know! By the way, more thanks go to Ankhutenshi, who continues to be a source of encouragement and inspiration – and character roleplay, as in the case of the character Jade._

_Wolfwings - Ahh, you know me too well. Just try not to be TOO disappointed that I produce chapters at such a rapid pace in a week's time! *wink*_

_Wolf - Well, as noted in Ch. 30, they're rather hesitant on betting their trump monsters, and with good reason. They'd have to have a comparable wager from their opponents first and there's no proof that Madison, nor anyone else, has anything worth it... hence the tourney. But keep reading anyway._

_Monica - Morale booster, eh? I suppose having a namesake in the story isn't all that bad for what ails you. As for Theoris and Monica... just how good would the story be if they weren't cool to pick up Kyle's lack in that area, hm? *grin* Here's your update._

------- 

July 19th 

-- 

Kyle opened the door and found himself looking at the rather perturbed visage of Monica Zocallos. He rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger. "Good God, Monica, it's siesta time, didn't anyone give you a memo?" 

"You don't have time to nap, the plane's on its way here. And you haven't even gone through your mail yet," she responded, and indeed, she was bearing a handful of letters that he hadn't bothered to pick up on his way in. 

He sighed and took the pieces. "I wanted a little sleep before going through all this stuff." 

"Well, go through it first, then see if you'll be able to get any sleep," she charged. 

"That was exactly the point," he grumbled, though he did begin to shuffle through it. "I haven't gotten a wink since the Govern– what?" 

The third letter down had a Madison Enterprises return address on it. Monica crossed her arms. "That's why I wanted you to see it now." 

"What, you've been going through my mail?" 

She rolled her eyes and scoffed in exasperation. "No, dork, I got one myself. Wake up and get with the program, Kyle. Then open the damn letter and read it. And would you mind letting me in while you're at it, or are you just going to make me stand here in the doorway?" 

"The thought had occurred to me..." 

"Let me in, smart-ass." 

Kyle scoffed, then stepped aside as he ripped the envelope open. "Yes, _ma'am_." 

"Better. Now sit down somewhere so you don't have to go to the effort of standing and reading at the same time." 

He glanced up and scowled at her. "Just what the hell has got _you_ in such a tiff?" 

"_Read it_, Kyle." 

"Then shut up and let me read." He pulled the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it; Monica opened her mouth as if to retort, but she apparently thought better of it. 

_Mr. Kyle McCraine:_

_Greetings once again! I'm writing this as a bit of a prelude to the tournament you'll be attending tomorrow in Los Angeles. There are going to be a few changes to the rules, as you know them, and so I figured you might like a heads-up on those changes while you still have the chance to study them. These rules have been devised by Seto Kaiba himself, and this is just the right opportunity to implement them._

_Firstly, the opening Life Point count is being changed from 2000 to 4000._

_Secondly, as I'm sure you and your fellow duelists will be eminently happy to hear, in order to counter the increased opening Life Points, there will no longer be a restriction on how many attacks can be performed in a turn. Instead of restricting you to strictly one attack per turn, you will be allowed to attack once per monster on your field able to attack – unless, of course, that monster contains a special effect to the contrary._

_Thirdly, in order to make the dueling experience even more exciting, high-level monsters will no longer be played directly to the field without a cost. Monsters with level stars of 4 or less can still be played directly to the field. Monsters with 5 or 6 level stars cannot be played to the field, however, unless you first send one monster on your field to the graveyard. This is called sacrificing. Similarly, monsters with 7 or more level stars also cannot be played directly to the field without the sacrifice of two monsters from your field. STUDY THIS RULE CAREFULLY._

_Of course, all of these rules will be strictly enforced, and anyone who violates them will be disqualified, as well as lose all stature in the Duel Monsters community. We do not tolerate cheaters._

_I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!_

_Abigail Madison_

_Senior Vice President_

_Madison Enterprises_

Kyle frowned at the letter and looked back up at Monica. "So... if any of our high-levels get Trap Holed, we lose both the high-levels and the low-levels we used to bring them to the field in the first place?" 

"Sounds like you've got it down," she muttered. 

He snorted. "Great. Just great. But I suppose there's an advantage to that." 

"Oh?" 

"Well, look at it like this. Let's say you have a Hane-Hane on your field. Low power, totally sucks for the purpose of attack or defense. But its flip effect does wonders. What if it's not attacked? Once your next turn comes up, you flip Hane-Hane, return one opposing monster to your opponent's hand." He shrugged. "Best circumstance would be if that monster returned needed a sacrifice or two. Then sacrifice your Hane-Hane for a stronger monster, and you've got no messy openings to your Life Points." 

"Some of us prefer not to have creatures like Hane-Hane in our decks at all, you know," she said. "Ugly little thing. I much prefer my dragons." 

"Then you'd better stack your deck with cards that can stop effects like that. If these... sacrifice rules... are going to be enforced, like the letter says, I'm guessing you're going to need them. Particularly since you've got several dragons beyond level 6." 

"I can handle myself, Kyle, you just worry about your own cards. And pack up; the plane's getting in at 8:30, leaving at 9." 

"Mm." Kyle put the letter on the counter, then went over to his dresser and swiftly pulled out a change of clothes. He put the clothes in his empty backpack, alongside his card binder and a notebook equipped with a pen. At Monica's raised eyebrow, he responded defensively, "Hey, I get inspired in weird places." 

She gave a shrug. "There could be worse places." 

He grabbed the letter back off the counter, folded it, and placed it inside his notebook. "Since the rules are new... best to have a reference guide." 

"Yeah." She chucked a thumb at the door. "I'd better get going. I just thought you should know about what you're getting yourself into." 

"Yeah. Thanks." 

"Well... see you tonight." She let herself out in the midst of the awkward silence. 

-- 

Kyle and Monica stepped away from the ticket counter at the airport and tucked their licenses away, their tickets now in hand. Monica spied her ticket. "Hm. 19-A. What's yours?" 

"19-B, looks like." 

"Goody, more time next to the enemy. At least I get a window seat." 

Kyle shrugged. "Maybe you might pass along more of your excellent Duel Monsters wisdom." 

"Remember the new rules? It's a whole new game, Kyle. You've got to learn by experience now. There's not much I can show you at this point. I can only hope you've managed to make some improvements to your deck by now. You'll need everything you can get." 

"Hm. Then what will there be to talk about during the ride?" 

It was her turn to offer a shrug. "I dunno. What the free peanuts taste like?" 

-- 

The Next Morning 

-- 

Kyle tried not to yawn (and failed miserably) as he stepped out of the hotel. The place was ritzy, there was no question of that. _Probably yet another attempt of Madison's VP to butter us duelists up for the tourney so we'll be off-guard and off-balance. I'll bet the nightowls will win this entire thing. At least the bed was nice. Plane ride wasn't so bad, either._

There were several dozen people of all different ages crowded around the curb. He scoffed. _Goody, the many faces of the enemy. Don't get to liking 'em too quickly, McCraine._ They were waiting for the three buses that had been ordered specifically for this occasion. Some of them were standing around patiently, while others were running about and trying to cause havoc – whether because they were bored or because they wanted to psych out their opposition, Kyle didn't know, nor did he care. He didn't pay attention, but instead pulled out the letter he'd been sent and pored over it once more. _The rules in this thing are nothing short of bizarre... now we have to give up monsters from the field in order to put better monsters on it? Must be the catch I was looking for._

He sighed at the piece of paper and stuffed it back in his pocket after a few seconds. Everything else seemed to be the same, and for that, at least, he was thankful. But those "sacrifice rules"... 

He glanced around, and his eyes caught the glint of silver. 

Silver _necklaces._

__His gaze flicked up to the person wearing those necklaces... and his eyes narrowed. _Oh, great._

For possibly the first time since he'd seen her, she wasn't reading a book. It may have been because she was standing, and reading while holding the book may have been uncomfortable, or it may have had something to do with the way her bright green eyes were flashing over the gathering of duelists, her mouth drawn into a tight line. 

For some reason he couldn't even begin to explain, he felt himself being drawn towards her. He decided not to fight the automatic movement of his legs in her direction. _What are the chances I'm going to face her in this thing, anyway? Not all that high, to start off with. So if I keep up my good sense and good strategies, I should be able to figure out my weaknesses before having to go up against her..._

_But something's weird here. Can't quite put my finger on it..._

_**She does not have the same look of satisfaction she had the last time you spoke with her. Might that be it?**_

_****_Kyle blinked as he realized Theoris was right. _Yeah... yeah, that's it... not that same smug look..._

__And so, unbidden, the question simply rolled right off his tongue. "Is that a lemon you ate, or are you just happy to be here?" 

Jade's smoldering glare could have seen the wall behind him, the way they bored into him. "Part of the misunderstanding, McCraine, is that I am not 'here'." 

He blinked, blinked again. "What...? Wait..." His questioning expression turned into a frown as his fogged brain attempted to interpret the meaning of her answer. "You're not in this one?" 

"Was jet-lag especially brutal to you, or are you just slow today?" 

"No such thing as jet-lag when I stay in the same time zone," he yawned, letting the barb roll off him. "Just tired. When the sparks start flying, you can bet I'll be focused. Still, I figured you'd been invited." 

"Well, I am sorry to have not met your expectations. Apparently," she bit out with a glare at the buses just rounding the corner, "I don't meet others' expectations either." 

Kyle suddenly felt quite ill-tempered himself. _Must be infectious._ "In that case, maybe you should stop sneaking around so much and mark your territory on the Duel Monsters radar. You might gain a little more notice that way," he hissed. 

"You're the one who doesn't fit in here, McCraine," Jade snapped back. "Don't pretend to have gotten here on your own. You ask any of them if they've heard of me, if you want to know about the radar. You ask them who's going to get the Gate Guardian." 

He stared at her for a moment... and then he laughed. 

She bristled. "What?" 

"You," he responded, his fit of chuckling clearing up, "are completely obsessed. You know how easily a Duel Monsters card can tear? Become useless? Nothing more than tinfoil and cardstock? You're so serious about all this. It's a _game_. It's not life and death." 

The buses pulled up to the curb and opened their doors. The duelists quickly began filing into them, and Kyle half-turned to follow them. "I sure hope that if things don't go your way, you'll still be able to make something of yourself. Otherwise your journey's going to be the penultimate modern retelling of _Moby Dick_." 

"And there wasn't a man alive who didn't fear Ahab for his brilliance and command," Jade responded. "I'm the one who's obsessed... but you're the one getting on the bus. Be sure to give Ms. Madison my regards." 

He scoffed, then turned to the nearest bus. He called over his shoulder, "I don't give people the bird these days. But I'll see what alternatives I can think of." 

He shuffled up the aisle and took a window seat. Even though he didn't want to, he glanced back at the spot where he'd been arguing with her moments before. 

But she was already gone. 

He sighed and leaned his forehead against the glass. _That... was insane._

_**Rude, as well.**_

_Yeah, I know. She just... got to me there, for a sec. Assuming she's going to get into a tourney like this one... assuming something like that takes a lot of arrogance, wouldn't you think?_

_**Perhaps. But for all you know, she has a right to be arrogant. You have not yet seen her duel, much less had the opportunity to be on the opposite battlefield.**_

_There might be a chance for me to find out what her skills are like. She seemed pretty sincere about me asking around._

_**While you are asking, perhaps you should try to find out what she was doing here in the first place, since she apparently was not invited to attend.**_

_Pretty obvious to me. She's still got me in her sights as an eventual target. I'll bet she was here to remind me of that. But jeez... she's followed me from Indiana, to Oregon... now to California. I guess obsession could do that to a person..._

**_You were wrong._**

_What?_

_**You were wrong. It is not just a game. In my time, it WAS "life and death", as you so excellently phrase it.**_

_Gaming in general, you mean?_

_**No. This game you play now. Duel Monsters.**_

Kyle frowned. _Duel Monsters is a relatively recent game, Theoris. I mean, it's been around a few years, sure, but–_

_**I shall explain later. For the moment, you must focus on your strategy. You will need your head clear for the coming trials.**_

_You know I'll be thinking about this for the rest of the day._

_**Not if I have anything to say about such matters.**_

_Then do me a favor and stop tempting me with all this almost-knowledge. Tell me when you're ready, but not before. I may not be the same person I was, but I've still got very little patience for this kind of thing. Either tell me or don't, but don't leave me hanging like that._

_**...Very well.**_

-- 

Once the buses arrived, Kyle spent a few minutes trying to locate Monica – and he was unsuccessful at the attempt. He sighed. _Not like it matters anyway, I guess. I'll see her soon enough._

The collective duelists, who were all colors, shapes, and sizes, had been dropped off in front of what was one of the taller buildings in the smog-laden City of Angels. Traffic was still horrid, even at 6:10 a.m., and Kyle shuddered to imagine rush hour in a place like this. 

"Duelists! May I have your attention, please!" 

The diverse lot collectively turned toward the entrance of Madison Enterprises, where there were several people waiting for them. Kyle couldn't immediately tell which one of them was shouting, but he supposed it didn't matter; that they could hear the guy was enough. 

"If I could have your attention please, duelists, we're here to escort you into the building. Ms. Madison is waiting to address you. Follow us, please!" 

With that, the crowd quickly filed into the building – so quickly that Kyle, despite being among the last to get off the bus, made it through the door in less than a minute. _Guess the duelists are ready for some action. So am I._

Everyone was taken to a spacious conference room. The quarters were less than comfortable... about two notches, Kyle guessed, above "sardine can". Nevertheless, they managed to make it in without too many complaints. Plus, the table had been removed from the room, which made it much easier for them to bear – otherwise, there'd have been no way everyone could have fit. 

Standing at the front of the room was an aged woman, looking to be in her 60's, wearing a conservative blue pantsuit. A small smile creased her already creased (and slightly spotted) features, though the spirit of that smile was not reflected in her pale eyes, eyes the color of ice and just about as merciful. 

"Duelists, welcome to Madison Enterprises," she pronounced. "I am Abigail Madison, the coordinator of this gathering. We are here to honor the best of you, and those of you who deserve recognition for your accomplishments. Succeed, and you will be rewarded handsomely. Fail, and..." She shrugged. "Well, I suppose you'll need to be persistent. Good to live by that axiom. But an opportunity like this probably won't arise again for a while for you... at least, for those of you who fail." Another small smile flitted across her pocked features. "Well. I suppose we should get to business. This tournament is actually going to be taking place in four separate buildings, to make things a little less cramped. On your way out, you'll notice that there are lists, in alphabetical order, of duelists who have been assigned to each of those buildings. There are copies of directions to those buildings on the table, should you require one. You have until 7:00 this morning to get to your destination, where you will submit your wagered card. After that, the fun begins." 

She smiled more widely. "Duels will be arranged completely at random. You won't know who you're facing until you're seated. One entire floor of each of the four buildings has been designated specifically for the tournament. There will be several referees with a clear understanding of the rules, both old and new, and they will assist you where necessary. In the meantime..." Her smile became so wide she was in danger of smoothing out the creases on her forehead. "Have fun! The tournament begins at 7 a.m." 

The group took that as their cue to leave, and soon enough, Kyle found himself looking up his name. He found it under the listing for "Madison Enterprises Headquarters". He blinked. _Well,well. This building. That's certainly a time-saver. Okay, says here the "dueling floor" is the 17th floor. Off we go._

Things went by in a blur. If one had asked him later, he would have said he didn't remember the elevator, nor did he remember giving the judge at the door his Premature Burial card... and it didn't matter anyway, because he'd never put it into his deck, thus it had little to no sentimental value to him. _I wonder if anyone else did it that way._

A referee had pointed him to the seat he was supposed to take, amidst a square of sixteen simple tables. Kyle nodded in approval. _32 people per building, so 16 duels to start with... then 8, then 4, then 2, and then the final. Let's see just how far I can go when I try. You watching, Theoris?_

_**As always.**_

_Good._ Kyle rubbed his hands together eagerly as his opponent sat down across from him. The clock read 6:59. _Then let's get started._

The minute hand moved. 

The tournament was on. 

------- 

_So watch as Kyle and Monica start in on one of their greater adventures... as both friends and enemies! Stay tuned, and don't forget to leave behind a review... please?_


	32. Duel Madness

_A/N: Sorry about missing the last deadline. As most of you know, I adhere to a strict schedule of posting a new Fates chapter every 5 days. It didn't quite turn out that way this time around with a combination of being sick, college, and travel plans for the summer – not to mention finally getting accepted to SIU. Happy about that, but all of the above have been rather taxing on my time and concentration. Anyway, with that disclaimer out of the way, here's Chapter 32 for your reading pleasure! This is a jam-packed chapter, ladies and gentlemen, yes, jam-packed indeed. You are looking at four – I repeat, FOUR – duels up ahead, all in one chappie! Little gift for ya. Enjoy!_

_Monica: Glad you're enjoying! Read ahead and you'll see what mischief your namesake's up to this chapter – lots of it, one would surmise!_

_Lumen: *shrug* Unfortunately, as a suspense writer, it's my business to not bring things to a tidy conclusion. It's all part of the plan to keep my loyal readers as long as humanly possible._

_Wolf: Good to know my reviewers are ganging up on me for something or other. You wanted to see sac rules for a while, I figured this would be the best time to do it. And we'll be seeing more of Madison, don't you worry._

__------- 

Kyle's opponent, a wiry red-head sporting a pair of lens-less glasses – Kyle could only assume it was a style he'd yet to pick up on – cracked his knuckles as the minute hand struck the 12. "Let's get this show on the road," the kid said. His name tag read "Cole Calvert". "Faster I can get to the finals, the better off we'll all be." 

Kyle shook his head in silent disapproval. _I really can't say I'm much for the trash talking right now, but if he's gonna get into it..._ "In that case, I'm glad to hear you've got your place in the bleachers already staked out." 

Calvert scoffed. "Bring it on, dude. Ro-sham-bo." 

Both of the duelists pumped their fists through the air three times. Calvert called, "Shoot!" 

Kyle had chosen rock; Calvert's choice was scissors. Kyle smirked. "I'll be all too happy to bring it on by going first." 

They quickly shuffled their decks and prepared the duelist calculator conveniently set up in the center of the table, then drew their cards and regarded each other intently for a moment before Kyle made his first move. 

"I'll place one monster face-down," he announced, "and that'll be all for me." 

"Not even attempting to feint with a face-down magic or trap card? Shame, shame," Calvert reproved. 

"Then attack and find out how much I need to feint." 

"Hrm. Perhaps I will, at that. I play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode and attack your monster." 

Kyle obediently flipped his monster over. "You've attacked my Wall of Illusion (1000/1850), with a defense just strong enough to survive the attack. And now its special effect kicks in and returns your Mechanicalchaser to your hand." 

Calvert harrumphed. "No matter. I'll just bring him out again next turn." 

"Maybe. That everything?" 

"Yeah, go." 

Kyle drew his next card and perused his hand for a moment. "I place one magic/trap face-down, along with another monster face-down. That'll be all for me this turn." 

Calvert drew. "I re-play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode and attack your face-down monster." 

Kyle smirked and flipped over the m/t he had waiting. "Activate Waboku. But you still get to see my monster, so say hello to Crass Clown (1350/1400)." 

Calvert glared. "And now all you have to do is use its effect next turn to clear my field." 

"Unless you've got any magic or trap cards at the ready in your hand," Kyle remarked, his smirk widening. "Or you just might get lucky next turn." 

"Somehow I doubt that," his opponent grumbled. "End turn." 

Kyle drew, then grinned at the drawn card. "Awesome. Exactly what I need. First off, I play Muka Muka (600/300) in attack mode. His special effect causes his attack and defense power to increase by 300 for every card I've got in my hand, and right now I'm holding four. So instead of an attack power of 600..." 

"...it has an attack power of 1800." 

"Exactly. And now I'll switch Crass Clown to attack mode, and _his_ little effect comes into play. Back to your hand with that rusted out Duel Monster." 

Calvert's glare only deepened as he once more returned his Mechanicalchaser to his hand. 

"Next I switch Wall of Illusion to attack mode, and all three of my monsters attack your Life Points." 

The opponent let out a sigh. "Which ends the game." He threw his hand of cards on the table in disgust. Kyle didn't see all of it, but he caught a glimpse of several higher-level monsters. He smiled to himself. _If all my duels are going to be this easy because of Madison's rules – or Kaiba's – then there's no way I'm not going to the finals at this rate!_

-- 

Kyle had to wait about half an hour before the other duels were finished. Several people called referees to their tables at differing times to consult about the rules. But it didn't look like anyone had yet been disqualified, which was just as well; he didn't much feel like going forward in a tourney where the participants didn't play by the rules. 

His second opponent was a young woman, a few years older than him. She looked sprightly and energetic. He wondered if some of that had to do with winning her previous duel. Her name tag read "Carla Eisenberg". 

"Hi," she said brightly as he sat down. "Ready to get going?" 

"Whenever you are," he answered. 

"Oh, one thing?" 

He raised an eyebrow in askance. 

"No trash-talking, okay? I know psychology's part of this game, but I have a hard enough time with figuring out appropriate plays. I don't need my opponent distracting me with taunts." 

Kyle nodded. "Fair enough. I was actually hoping for an opponent who felt that way." 

"Good, now you've got one. Ro-sham-bo?" 

He nodded again, and once more let his fist fly thrice through the air. On "Shoot!", his first two fingers formed a scissors-like formation. She'd picked paper. 

"I'll go first," he said. 

"Fine by me." 

They shuffled and drew their cards. Kyle drew his sixth card, then considered his move. "I'll place three magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster face-down. That ends my turn." 

"Already this is looking dangerous," she chuckled. "Okay, then. I play Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800) in attack mode." 

"Activate Trap Hole," Kyle announced, flipping over the corresponding trap card. 

She gave him a look before discarding Gamma to the graveyard. "My, my. And Gamma has such a low attack power, comparatively speaking. Wonder what you've got hiding." 

"You'll see. Anything else, or can I take my turn now?" 

"Not yet. I place one magic/trap face-down and _then_ end my turn." She _tsk_ed at him. "So impatient." 

"True. I just like taking my turn." Kyle drew his next card. "All right, then. I play Sangan (1000/600) in attack mode." 

"Activate Call of the Haunted," she responded, flipping her trap card face-up. "Familiar with it?" 

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. It's a trap version of Premature Burial, only without the Life Point cost. You bring back a monster from your grave in attack mode. If either Call or your monster is destroyed, the other goes with it." 

"Indeed. And since the only monster in my graveyard is Gamma, I'm bringing him back." 

"Fair enough." Kyle flipped his other monster face-up. "Then Gamma gets to meet my Harpie's Brother (1800/600) in battle." 

She frowned and mumbled something to herself. Noncommitally, Kyle said, "Harpie's Brother attacks Gamma." 

"Destroyed," she muttered, discarding her monster and reducing her LP count by 300. 

"And then Sangan attacks your Life Points." 

She obediently subtracted another thousand Life Points from her score. 

"My turn's done." 

"Hmph." She drew. "All right, then. I play Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode." 

Kyle blinked and looked at the monster's level stars. _There aren't too many normal Duel Monsters out there that are level 4 and have an attack power of 1900..._

_**Yet this appears to be one of them, does it not?**_

_Yeah._ Kyle mentally shrugged. _Doesn't matter. If I can somehow make it to the finals, I could get a whole bunch of them. That one's at least super rare._

"Vorse Raider attacks your Harpie's Brother." 

Kyle flipped another of his face-down m/t's. "Activate Widespread Ruin. This destroys the monster on your field with the highest attack points." 

She harrumphed once more and disgustedly sent her Vorse Raider to the graveyard. "My turn's done. My last duel was longer than this..." 

Kyle shrugged. "Them's the brakes about dueling. You win some, you lose some." He drew his next card. "Harpie's Brother and Sangan attack your Life Points." 

"And that does it for me," she grumbled. 

He chuckled. "Don't worry. There are all sorts of tournaments out there." 

She picked up her deck and got to her feet. "None like this one." 

He couldn't help but agree on that point. 

-- 

Monica took her seat and sighed in bored fashion as she waited for her next opponent. Her last two duels had been easy. Almost frightfully so. She hoped it wouldn't be like this all the way through. _I want a challenge, damn it._

Her next opponent was a tall black man wearing a well-tailored suit and a confident expression. "Ms. Zocallos, I've heard so many good things about you." 

"They're all true," she responded blandly. 

"Well, I suppose we'll see about that, once we get this duel underway. And as you're always in a hurry, let's not waste time." He took his seat and placed his deck on the table. "Ro-sham-bo." 

Monica chose rock, while her opponent – a man whose name was Frank Endouwi – chose scissors. She wordlessly drew her first six cards and glanced up at him to watch as he drew his first five. 

"I place two magic/trap cards face-down, and then play Dimensional Warrior (1200/1000) in attack mode," she announced. "And that ends my turn." 

"Such a weak monster, in attack mode? I don't suppose you were actually serious about participating in this tournament, were you?" He drew, then announced, "I play Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode and have it attack your Dimensional Warrior." 

"Destroyed," she said, "and I lose 700 Life Points, but its special effect removes both it and the monster that attacked it from the game. So it's not quite as weak as you might think." 

"Indeed." A frown creased his brow. "Very well, then. I shall place one magic/trap card face-down and end my turn." 

She drew her next card. "I'll also place a magic/trap face-down, and then play Koumori Dragon (1500/1200) in attack mode. And Koumori Dragon attacks your Life Points." 

"I lose 1500," he answered, setting his duelist calculator to 2500. 

"End turn." 

He drew his next card. "I play Dark Hole." 

"Hrm." She discarded Koumori Dragon. 

"Now I place one monster face-down." 

She flipped one of her traps. "Activate Acid Trap Hole," she announced. "If that monster's got less than 2000 defense points, it's gone." 

"Not quite. I activate my Seven Tools of the Bandit and give up one thousand Life Points to keep my monster right where it is." 

She harrumphed. "Fine, then." 

"Next I place one magic/trap card face-down and end my turn." 

She drew, then said, "All I'll do this turn is place one magic/trap face-down. Back to you." 

He took his next card. "I place another monster face-down." 

"Maybe I'll have better luck with my Shadow of Eyes card," she said, as she turned another of her traps face-up. "It forces you to play that monster in attack mode." 

He gave her a look as he turned his Magician of Faith (300/400) to attack mode. "Very well... but since she's in attack mode, it would be a shame not to attack, no matter how weak she may be. Magician of Faith attacks your Life Points." 

"Minus 300," she answered, deducting Life Points accordingly. 

"End turn." 

She drew, then smirked. "I play Polymerization. And trust me, I don't have any of those wussy monsters with 1500 attack points." 

"Indeed." Her opponent raised an eyebrow. 

"Indeed," she nodded. "I'm fusing together the Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon I've got in my hand in order to play Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500) in attack mode." She discarded the Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon cards from her hand, then reached over to her fusion deck, picked up the fusion monster she'd just summoned, and placed it appropriately on the field. 

Endouwi quirked an eyebrow. "Impressive." 

"So glad you approve. Black Skull Dragon attacks your Magician of Faith." 

"Don't be too eager to win the game that you forget about my traps. Activate Negate Attack." 

She scoffed. "Fine. End turn." 

He drew his next card, but didn't put it into play. Instead he reached out to his Magician and turned it sideways. "I switch my Magician of Faith to defense mode and end my turn." 

_Running scared. Smart._ She drew. "I place one magic/trap face-down, then have my Black Skull Dragon attack your Magician of Faith again." 

"Destroyed this time. But thankfully without LP loss." 

"Your monsters might not be so lucky next time. End turn." 

He offered a smile as he drew. "Quite the confident one. Just don't let that confidence turn into arrogance. I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn." 

"Fine." She drew. "I place another magic/trap face-down, and have my Dragon attack your face-down monster." 

"Hm. This time I'm activating my Fairy Box trap card." Endouwi picked up the coin that had been placed on the table for such occasion as players would have need for one. "I flip this. If I call it right, your monster's attack power is set to zero. If I'm wrong, nothing happens and the attack goes through unchecked." 

"So flip the coin and call it already." 

He _tsk_ed. "Impatience, Ms. Zocallos. I call heads." He flipped the coin high into the air and let it drop onto the table. 

It landed heads-up. 

Endouwi smiled. "Well, I guess luck is on my side. At any rate, your attack still goes through, just with an attack power of zero. And you've attacked my face-down Cyber Jar (900/900)." 

Monica winced. "I really loathe Cyber Jars when they're used against me." 

"But they work oh so well when they operate on your side, don't they?" He grinned. "You take 900 damage to your Life Points. And then my monster's effect kicks in." 

_Yeah, yeah... all monsters on the field are destroyed, then we each draw five new cards and show them to each other... any monsters level 4 or below go to the field, everything else stays in our hands. But first..._ "Before we put those monsters on the field, I'm going to activate my Light of Intervention trap. That way there won't be any surprises." 

"Fair enough," he responded, drawing his next five cards. The expression on his face wasn't exactly a happy one, though, when he saw what he'd drawn, and Monica could only hope that he'd gotten nothing worth playing. 

Since she'd been the one to cause Cyber Jar's effect, she revealed her drawn cards to him first – a Waboku trap, a level 6 Meteor Dragon (1800/2000), a level 4 Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (1300/2000), a level 3 Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000), and a level 2 Skelengel (900/700). She played the first two monsters in attack mode, and Skelengel in defense. 

His hand revealed three traps, a magic card, and a Morphing Jar (700/600). She smiled. _Great. Morphing Jar's a flip effect monster, but with Light of Intervention in play, he has to put it face-up._

"Okay, then," she said. "Now that that's out of the way, it's still my Battle Phase, and my monsters can still attack. So I'm having my Giant Soldier attack your Morphing Jar." 

"Don't forget about Fairy Box. Tails." Endouwi flipped the coin, but it once again landed heads. 

"Well, bye-bye to your Morphing Jar, then. And then Dragon attacks your Life Points directly." 

Endouwi discarded his Morphing Jar with one hand and flipped the coin with the other. "Tails again." 

This time the coin landed tails. Monica sighed. _No damage to him, then..._ "End turn." 

He drew, then announced, "First I need to deduct five hundred Life Points from myself, since Fairy Box demands a price for every turn I use it. Then I place three magic/trap cards face-down and end my turn." 

Monica drew, then frowned. _This isn't doing me much good right now, and at this rate, Fairy Box is doing more damage than I would. Besides, I can't risk getting caught by his traps... _"I'll end my turn without playing anything." 

Endouwi nodded and drew. "Minus another 500 Life Points, and I will also refrain from playing a card and end my turn." 

Monica arched an eyebrow at his Life Point counter, now hovering at 1000. "Getting pretty low on Life Points and not much to show for it." 

"We'll see." 

"That we will." She drew her next card, then glanced up at him. "I think I'm going to risk it. I switch Skelengel to attack mode, and then have it attack your Life Points." 

"Once more, Fairy Box comes into effect. Tails." The coin dropped tails. 

"Hrm. Giant Soldier attacks, then." 

"Heads." And the coin landed heads. 

Monica scowled. "Fine. Third time's a charm. Dragon attacks." 

"Tails." 

The coin landed heads. 

He frowned. "It seems my luck has run out." 

"So have your Life Points." 

"Those, too." He gathered his cards together and offered her a hand. "Good match." 

She shook the proffered hand. "You, too." 

And she meant it. 

-- 

Her fourth opponent was a girl that was about her age, a couple years older at most. Her long blond hair hung freely, and Monica couldn't help but be reminded of Kyle's former hair style. However, this girl's complexion was much more tan than Kyle's. Monica suppressed a smile as she thought, _Prettier, too... though compared to Kyle, that's not so tough..._

"Hi," said the girl whose name tag read "Courtney Daniels". "Ready to lose?" 

"Only if you are," Monica scoffed in response. 

"Well, then, let's get this going, hm? Ro-sham-bo." 

Monica's throw was paper; Courtney's was scissors. The blonde smirked. "Guess I'll go first, then." 

"Go for it." 

Courtney drew her first six cards, looked at the for only a moment, then nodded definitively. "Good. I play Swords of Revealing Light to start off." 

Monica raised an eyebrow. "You're pinning me for three turns right off the bat? Wouldn't it have been better to wait?" 

"You'll see why. Next I place one magic/trap face-down and follow it up with a face-down monster. My turn's finished." 

"Glad to hear it." Monica drew. "I also place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down." 

"Not so fast with the monster," Courtney responded, and she flipped her face-down m/t. "I activate Shadow of Eyes." 

Monica gave an irritated scoff and turned her Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) to attack mode. _I really hate it when I see cards I love being used against me. And I can't even have the benefit of an attack thanks to that Swords card._ "I can't attack, so that'll end my turn." 

"Fine by me." Courtney drew, then announced, "I play Harpie's Feather Duster to rid your field of that face-down m/t." 

"Not if I use it first," Monica shot back. "It's your turn, so I'm allowed, and I'm going to. Activate Acid Trap Hole. Hopefully you're familiar with it." 

"Quite. My face-down Earthbound Spirit (500/2000) goes to the graveyard. But it's not really like I needed it." Courtney laid down her next card. "I play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode, and have it attack your Witch." 

"Destroyed, and I lose 750 LP," Monica answered. "But I also gain Witch's effect." She searched her deck for an appropriate monster card, grinned when she found the one she wanted, and placed it among the other cards of her hand before shuffling her deck. 

"End turn." 

"Good." Monica drew, then nodded in approval. "I'm putting the field magic card Mountain into play. It increases the attack and defense power of all Dragon-types, Winged Beast-types, and Thunder-types we play by 200 points." 

"Fine. Then what?" 

"Then I play Goblin Attack Force (2300/0) in attack mode, that's what." She grinned. _One of the most powerful level 4 monsters to date. Too bad it goes to defense mode after attacking... but her Swords card is the only thing that's keeping me from doing exactly that._ "My turn ends there." 

Courtney drew, then frowned ever so slightly. "Looks like I'll have to go to the defensive, for the moment. I switch Mechanicalchaser to defense mode and then place one monster face-down to end my turn." 

_One turn left for Swords, and then it's playtime._ Monica drew. _Hmm. This might do me some good... but first..._ "I place one magic/trap face-down," she announced, "and then play the magic card Graceful Charity. By its effect I can draw three extra cards into my hand and then discard any two from the resulting mess." 

"Then hurry up with it." 

Monica drew her three new cards, then narrowed her eyes at her hand. _Tough choice. But I'd best go with... these two..._ "I'm discarding my Dimensional Warrior and Acid Trap Hole cards." 

"Then I assume you've got something more useful in the wings," Courtney responded. 

"That, I do. I place one more magic/trap face-down, and then play Zombyra the Dark (2100/500) in attack mode. But once more, I'll have to end my turn without the fun of attacking. On the other hand, next turn won't be so shabby." 

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Please. Just because my Swords card is gone now–" and at this she discarded her Swords of Revealing Light "–doesn't mean you're going to stay on the offensive. Quite the opposite, I think. I sacrifice my Mechanicalchaser and face-down Sangan (1000/600) to play Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode." 

Monica cursed under her breath. _I'm in trouble._

"And thanks to your field card, Tri-Horned Dragon gets a nice boost of two hundred attack and defense." 

"Thank you for pointing that out, I might not have seen it otherwise," Monica grumbled. "Remember Sangan's effect." 

"Thank you for pointing that out, I might not have seen it otherwise," Courtney parroted, and she searched her deck for an appropriate monster card. She found one a moment later and collected it into her hand before shuffling. "And now that that's overwith, Tri-Horned Dragon attacks your Zombyra." 

"Destroyed," Monica muttered, and she reduced her Life Points accordingly – the value had by this point descended to 2300. 

"Finally, I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn." 

Monica drew her next card in silence – and scowled at it. _Fat lot of good you're gonna do me right now..._ She pulled another of her hand's cards from among the pack and placed it on the field. "I play Monster Reborn, to revive my Witch of the Black Forest and place her in defense mode. Then I switch Goblin Attack Force to defense mode and end my turn." 

Courtney drew her next card, but paid little attention to it and instead opted to bring out the card she'd retrieved by way of her Sangan's effect. "I play Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) in attack mode, and have him attack your Goblin Attack Force." 

"Destroyed." 

"Then Tri-Horned attacks your Witch." 

"Also destroyed." Monica began to look through her deck. "I get her effect again." 

"I'm well-aware of that. My turn's finished whenever you are." 

Monica was meticulous in her choice, but quite sure of it once she made it. Then she shuffled her deck and drew her next card. _This might do, too._ "I play Pot of Greed to draw two new cards." 

"Be my guest." 

Monica blinked in surprise at her two next cards, both good. "Now I play Change of Heart to take control of your Tri-Horned Dragon." 

"Was expecting that," Courtney smirked, "which is why I placed my Shift trap card. Lets me choose your target for you. And I don't want you getting your hands on my dragon. You can have Gazelle instead." 

_Damn, there goes that strategy... still, all isn't lost..._ "Fine," Monica responded, taking Gazelle onto her field for a moment. _Let's try this out instead..._ "In that case, I sacrifice Gazelle in order to place one monster face-down. Then I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn." 

"Your defenses aren't going to do much against a monster that, for the moment, is stronger than a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, you know," Courtney chuckled amusedly as she drew her next card. 

Monica's gaze snapped up at the remark... but the look in her opponent's eyes was nothing more than cockiness. There was no hidden knowledge there. _Just "smarminess", as my dad might like to say..._

"Anyway, I play Hayabusa Knight (1000/700) in attack mode. And this monster's special in that it gets to attack twice in a single turn. But first let's clear away your face-down. Tri-Horned Dragon attacks your face-down monster." 

Monica flipped it over for a moment. "You've destroyed my Beast of Gilfer (2200/2500), and whenever he's sent to the graveyard, he can be equipped to one opposing monster as an equipment magic card and reduce that monster's attack power by 500. In this case, I'm targeting your Hayabusa Knight." 

"Fine by me, Tri-Horned is still unaffected." 

"Not really. Like I said, you _destroyed_ Beast of Gilfer; it's been sent to the graveyard, it just came back, s'all. But since it was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I'm activating my Michizure trap card, which lets my monster take one of yours with it to the grave. And in this case, I pick Tri-Horned Dragon." 

At this, Courtney scowled. "And this is legal?" 

"If you don't think so, by all means, ask a referee," Monica responded coolly. "Any of them would agree with me. You can deal with it or you can quit here and now." 

Her opponent harrumphed. "I'm not going to waste my time or effort. Fine, Tri-Horned is destroyed. But Hayabusa Knight is still here, and he attacks your Life Points directly – twice, which is, if I'm not terribly mistaken, also legal." 

"That it is," Monica agreed, and she deducted 1000 Life Points in accordance with that proclamation. "Anything else?" 

"No, that should do it." 

Monica drew her next card, and then smirked. _That last phrase was more true than she'd know..._ She reached to the face-down card she'd played just before her Graceful Charity card and flipped it over. "I activate Polymerization. Now, normally I'd have the required fusion material in my hand, but in this case, I have something a bit different. What I've got is Red-Eyed Black Dragon..." She revealed the named card. "...and also Goddess With the Third Eye." She also showed this one to Courtney. "Goddess' effect is especially handy, because she can substitute as one part of virtually any fusion monster." 

Courtney scoffed. "So what, you have a Black Skull Dragon?" 

"I do, but that's not the monster I'm bringing out." 

The blonde opponent frowned. "What else does Red-Eyes fuse into?" 

Monica discarded her Polymerization, Red-Eyes, and Goddess cards and picked up her chosen fusion monster. "This one – Meteor Black Dragon (3500/2000). Since he's also a dragon, he gets that nifty bonus from my Mountain card, all the way up to 3700 attack points. But it's not quite enough to wipe out all of your as yet untouched Life Points, so I'm adding one more card to the combination." She placed a magic card on the field. "Say hello to Dragon's Gunfire. I can only play this when I have a dragon on my field, and using it, I can deal 800 direct damage to your Life Points." 

"That takes me down to 3200," Courtney noted. 

"And then it's all simple math from here. Your Knight's attack power, with Gilfer attached to him, is 500. My Dragon's is 3700." 

Courtney scowled. "Just enough to destroy all of my Life Points in one turn." 

"You've got it." Monica grinned. "Unless, of course, you have some method of stopping the attack." 

Courtney shook her head. "No. No, I don't." She sighed. "Ah, well. Maybe there'll be another tourney like this one sometime." 

"One can always hope." Monica nodded in appreciation as she gathered her cards. "Good duel." 

"Yeah... it was." Courtney offered a small smile. "Maybe I'll stick around. See some more good dueling." 

Monica smirked. "You could very well do that." 

-- 

12:58 p.m. 

-- 

Abigail Madison sighed as she stepped into her office. What with all the chaos today, she'd not yet gotten a chance to take a look at recent stock reports. 

She shook her head reproachfully at the numbers. _At last count, our stock values were at $23.54 a share. And we were making three times that much before Seto Kaiba turned his operation away from weapons and toward building useless platforms for silly games! Somebody ought to teach that boy to grow up._

_And in the meantime, KaibaCorp gets all the credit for that technology. Nobody pays attention to Madison Enterprises, the people that allowed such marvelous stupidity to exist despite its fragility. Absolutely unbelievable._

_We'll get back at him for it, soon enough. But first I need the right method. And I'll have exactly that by tomorrow morning._

__At that thought, she smiled in satisfaction. _Roll over, Seto Kaiba._

__-- 

1:37 p.m. 

-- 

Kyle took a deep breath before stepping into the waiting area that had been set up for the semi-finalists. Though his first matches had been insanely easy, his later ones had been notoriously difficult, and it was only with the help of Sanga of the Thunder that he was able to get through that last one. His opponent didn't bother to read up on Sanga's effect before trying to attack it, and the referee had judged Kyle's interpretation -- an intepretation he'd gotten directly from Zack -- as correct. The opponent lost his monster and the rest of his Life Points upon activation of Sanga's effect. 

This was just as well, since Kyle's Life Points had been cut down to 200. 

_Well, I still won_, he thought. _And now look at what I'm gonna get from it. At the very least, $2500 and some good cards._

__There were several comfortable chairs strewn about the room, and the table in the middle had several refreshments on it; obviously this place was a lounge. Kyle strolled over to the table and surveyed the food. _Hmm. Cheese, some donuts..._

__**_These are strange foods to me._**

**__**Kyle couldn't help but emit an amused snort. _I suppose they would be. Care to try one out for yourself?_

_**Do you believe that is a wise course of action?**_

_****Well, that depends. Are you feeling strong enough to take over?_

_**That is not a pertinent issue.**_

_****Sure it is. Are you?_

_**...Yes, but I believe you know to what I refer.**_

_****You're afraid someone's going to traipse in and catch you eating a donut?_ Kyle snickered. _You're too cautious. If you want a donut, have a donut. I like 'em, myself. Especially the cream-filled ones._

_**Cream-filled?**_

_****_Kyle chuckled. _One of these._ He picked up a closed donut with chocolate icing. _Probably vanilla cream inside. Good stuff._

_**...If you wish to accustom me to the tastes of your world, perhaps you would be better served to show me a simple food, rather than one such as that.**_

_****Probably right._ Kyle put the cream-filled donut down and picked up a plain one instead. _Does that mean you'll eat it, then?_

__**_You make this sound like one of your boyhood "dares"._**

**__**It's not a dare, Theoris, it's just a question. Gonna do it? 

_**...Very well.**_

_****Okay. So... how do we do this? Do I have to be asleep?_

_**No. Just let go of yourself. You may feel as though you are drifting in a pond. You will still be able to detect everything that is happening.**_

_****If you say so._ Kyle closed his eyes and tried to disfocus. It was a remarkably difficult task, given the high he was on at the moment for getting into the semi-finals. 

But a mere moment later, he felt his eyes opening again -- and he wasn't even instructing them to do so. 

_Theoris... this is weird..._

_**I know. Do not be afraid.**_ Kyle's eyes blinked once, and his head turned one way, then another. He felt his arm come up, and his eyes scanned the donut his fingers were pinching. **_What an odd shape for a food... but then again, this is a very odd world you live in._**

**__**Kyle would have chuckled if he'd been in control of his faculties. _So says you. Go on and eat it, it's not gonna bite you._

_**So says you**_, Theoris responded. Nevertheless, he brought the donut to Kyle's mouth and took a tentative bite out of it. His jaw worked the baked dough for a moment, and his eyes widened. **_By Ra, Kyle, I have chewed sugar cane that was not so sweet as this!_**

**__**Interesting. I've never had sugar cane. Kyle was amused, though he began to feel slightly concerned when he felt his gag reflex trying to build up. _Hey, hey, don't choke on it, okay? It's just sweetened bread._

_**Sweetened to enormous proportions, I must say...**_

_****Don't like it?_

_**It is... different. Much different.**_

_****_The door to the lounge swung open. Theoris mentally uttered a curse and turned quickly away from the door, then closed Kyle's eyes. 

Kyle opened his eyes and blinked in dizziness. _Whoa... what's wrong?_

_**I cannot be seen inhabiting your body. It is obvious when I do.**_

_****Obvious how?_

__"Kyle?" 

He frowned and turned back to the door. 

Monica was standing there. 

------- 

_Why did I cut it off there? Well, think of the implications. If she's standing there, what does that mean? If you can't figure it out, well, then you'll have to wait another five days! No worries, it's not all THAT long. Meantime, take a moment to leave a review, won't you? Please? Stay tuned for the Madison Enterprises tournament semi-finals!_


	33. In the Eye of the Storm

_A/N: Okay, now that the preliminaries are overwith, we're moving on to the big stuff. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we're into the semi-finals of this tournament, and this is no time to delay chapters! With that thought in mind, I'm posting Chapter 33 two days early, and you can expect Chapter 34 on April 30! Yep, that's right, you get two chapters in the same five-day period for the price of one!_

_Skraku: Oh, I had some pretty bad ones in AAO. Fear not, your prayers have been answered, the new chappie's here. Take a look!_

_Monica: Well, take a look and you'll see why. Promise!_

_Wolfwings: *grins* See above response._

_Mira: *waves to new reviewer* It seems that even the lurkers want to come out and admit I'm evil now. I wonder if people are trying to tell me something. *wink* I'm glad you're enjoying my story. I love writing it, but I love it even more when people tell me I should keep doing it._

_Ankhutenshi: Yay! Review from Ankh-chan. I'm sure Theoris would very much appreciate your glomping; meantime, I very much appreciate your noting the supposed originality of the duels. I work hard on those – as you know! *wink* You might get to see someone tell Madison off. Wouldn't that just annoy her no end. And... good! Someone knows!_

_MysticalMan Eusine: *waves to new reviewer* Good to know you like the story. But was the cliffie really that bad? Wow. I may have to write more like it. *grin* As to Monica, you're about to find out, so sit tight and read onward, my friend. Theoris is especially fun to write, so it's good to know you enjoy him as much as I. And I will most definitely, as you and Wolf both say, "Keep 'em coming!"_

------- 

Kyle blinked. "Um... yes? That would be me?" 

She was frowning at him. "Is there a hidden flashlight or something around here?" 

"Uh..." It was his turn to frown. "Not that I know of. Why?" 

"Because I could have sworn I just saw a light shining on your head." 

"Oh." He gave her a winning smile. "Must be my halo." 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, not that kind of light... it was on your forehead. I could have _sworn_ I saw something..." 

He raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "No... not that I know of. But if it makes you feel better, I'm not going to stop you if you decide to look. What're you doing here, anyway?" 

She gave him a look. "Hmm, let's see. I'm standing here in the lounge where the semi-finalists are supposed to go after winning their respective divisions. I'm a good duelist. Put one and one together." 

"Uh..." Kyle still felt slightly dizzy from the rapid transition from Theoris' transfer of control, so he chose that moment to act deliberately obtuse. "You wanted to corner me in an empty room. That must be it." 

She scoffed. "You wish. I got into the semi-finals, of course. Why're _you_ here?" 

"Oh. Same reason." 

Her frown deepened. "_You?_ Now _that_ was something I hadn't expected." She began searching around the room – presumably for a hidden light source. "This could prove to be an interesting tournament after all. Just don't tell me you didn't expect me to get this far." 

"Promise," he responded. He looked at the donut he was holding and raised an eyebrow at it, inspecting the bite in it as though it held the secrets of the universe. _What's going on, Theoris? Did she somehow see you in control?_

_**Yes, she did. I can tell from her description. It is similar to my experience with the Millennium Shield while Khensthoth was within it.**_

_What do you mean?_

_**When I am in control, the glowing Eye of Horus appears between your normal eyes. Your eyes also glow.**_

_What?_

_**Perhaps you would be best served to find a reflective surface so that I might show you.**_

Kyle glanced over to Monica. "Did you see a convenient bathroom nearby?" 

"Out the door, turn left, go up the hall, it's on the right side," she answered, still searching. 

"Thanks." He followed her instructions, then carefully looked around the bathroom to make sure no one else was going to be watching. He locked the door – _I'll only be a minute_ – and then stepped up to the nearest mirror. _Okay, show me._

**_First you must disfocus._**

Kyle did so, and once again, he felt as if he were floating – much as Theoris had described. It wasn't as hard this time, since he knew what to do. His eyes drifted closed. 

When they opened again, he could see through them, but it wasn't Kyle that was controlling them. 

His eyes stared directly into the mirror. 

And just as Theoris had said, they were glowing. The pupils, specifically, were giving off golden light. Not only that, but there was also a third eye – though this one looked more like it was light poured into a carving – in the center of his forehead. 

Kyle had an urge to jump away from the image, but he wasn't in control – so it was all the more disturbing when he felt Theoris start at the sight. _What, what is it?_

_**I... had not quite expected this exact sight.**_

_You're the one who knew about the eyes!_

_**This is the first time I have ever been able to see it so exactly as this. I never saw a reflection of myself like this in my own time... Adjedaa told me of it.**_

_Adjedaa. The healer?_

_**Yes. Now I will give you your body back.**_ Kyle's eyes drifted closed again, and when they reopened, they did so by his direction. 

"Wow," he said aloud. "That was... weird. I am going back to the lounge now." 

And that he did. When he got there, however, Monica was nowhere to be found, and standing next to the refreshments table was Abigail Madison, smiling her little smile. 

"Mr. McCraine," she greeted. "I was informed of your success. Congratulations for making it this far." 

He nodded. "Thanks, Ms. Madison. I'm glad I got this opportunity." 

"Which is good!" Her craggy smile widened. "Any semi-finalist should feel fortunate for making it as far as they have. It's a wonderful achievement. For now, though, I would imagine you're rather tired of dueling." 

"It had occurred to me," he admitted. "And I'll admit to a bit of nervousness about the upcoming finals." 

"Well, don't you worry, my boy, I'm sure you'll do just fine. And if you don't, you're still walking away with quite the booty." She let out a small laugh. "And I'm not referring to your backside." 

"Oh. Well, good." He crossed his arms. "Is there anything else I should know?" 

"Ah, yes, your fellow finalist Ms. Zocallos has already departed for the hotel. She's resting up for the grueling finals this evening. You should probably do the same." 

"Well, it might do me some good to know where the finals are. Are they going to be here?" 

"Heavens, no," she scoffed, "I wouldn't dream of making finalists for our tournament duel on something so petty as a table. No, Mr. McCraine, the tournament semi-finalists will be sent taxis, which will then take them to the 'final' destination. You'll be dueling on a holographic arena." 

He blinked in surprise. "Well... I guess that would make sense." 

"Of course it would," she supplemented. "After all, this is a tournament sponsored by a subsidiary of KaibaCorp. We know how to treat serious duelists. In the meantime, you can stay here if you'd like, or you can go back to the hotel and get some sleep -- I can't imagine that being awake at 5:45 a.m. is normal for a college student's schedule." 

He blinked again. "How do you figure I'm a college student?" 

"It's my business to know who steps through my door," she responded smoothly. "It's also my business to know who my money's going to." 

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. _She's definitely up to something._

__**_That much is obvious. But it does not seem she is willing to share what she is "up to"._**

**__**_Too bad. But right now, I think I want to get away from her._ "Come to think of it, I think I'll head back to the hotel. I _am_ a bit tired." 

"Quite right, you should go get some rest," she said. "We'll give you a wake-up call when it's time to go." 

"Thanks..." Kyle stepped out of the room, his gaze wary. _Whatever she's playing at, I don't think I like it too much. She's a bit... too accommodating._

__**_Yes. Hopefully you will discover her true intentions, should they involve you._**

**__**_If they have anything to do with me, I'm bound to._ He approached the nearest elevator and hit the first floor button, then gave one last glance to the hall before the doors shut. Moments later, the doors opened again to reveal another hallway. 

**_This seems almost sorcerous in nature._**

**__**Kyle chuckled. _Trust me, Theoris, this is neither sorcerous nor natural. We're just using the laws of physics to move up and down in the building._ He left the skyscraper a few moments later and looked up to the top of it. 

**_By Ra, that building is gigantic. Taller than any palace or pyramid I have ever seen. Taller, perhaps, than even the cliff face in which I met my end._**

**__**Not your end, Theoris. Otherwise you wouldn't be here with me now. 

__**_Perhaps it would have been better if I had simply died as all do. I long for my family. My wife, my children... or even any descendants they might have left behind in this world. I wish to know my legacy._**

**__**_I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to relate, my friend._

_**And I would not wish you to be able to relate, else you would know as much pain and sorrow as I.**_

_****You still have a friend in this world._

__-- 

Kyle spent the next several hours in his hotel room, doing everything from napping to watching TV to rearranging his deck. He'd brought his cards with him and was trying to consider every angle of opposition. _Magic/traps, effect monsters... I can't put together a deck that can counter everything, but if I could get a configuration to anticipate as much as possible..._

__**_Perhaps you should stop worrying about the upcoming duels and try to enjoy the city around you. How often do you go to a city like this?_**

**__**Often enough. 

_**And you do not appreciate being here?**_

_****I appreciate being given the opportunity to come here and do what I came here to do. I don't want to have to use my winnings to make up for whatever money I might end up spending on an afternoon on the town._

_**You noticed a vendor that sells parchments, did you not?**_

_****_At that, Kyle laughed. _If you mean a bookstore, yes. What about it?_

_**If you scribe--**_

_****__Write._

_**--write... "books"... then would it not stand to reason that it is wise to study others?**_

_****You're saying I should go buy a book?_

_**Not one, several. And study them, so that you may increase your repository of knowledge. You say that in this world, "knowledge is power." If you wish to become more powerful, then by this statute, you must gain more knowledge.**_

_****You're just trying to get my mind off the duels._

_**Apparently it is not working as well as I had hoped.**_

_****_Kyle considered for a moment. _Two books. And I'll read three chapters out of each._

_**Chapters?**_

_****Segments_, Kyle amended. _Chapters are segments of text in a book._

__**_Very well. But do not buy any books that deal with the game._**

**__**Deal. Kyle grinned, then went downstairs to find the bookstore. 

-- 

The wake-up call came at 8:15. Kyle was already quite awake, and ready to go. He tucked his deck into his pocket and hurried downstairs to the waiting cabbie, who looked more suited to a job as a strip club bouncer. _And there're probably plenty of those around here, too..._

Wordlessly, the two of them climbed into the taxi, and the cabbie drove the car with the precision of a surgeon – and the speed of a stock car, which was normal for taxis, or so Kyle had heard. 

To his surprise, Kyle found the cab driving toward the docks. Anchored to one of those docks was a small cruise vessel with the Madison Enterprises logo on it. _That's got to be where we're going._

Another cab was already pulling away from the bridge to that ship, and its former occupant was now hurriedly running aboard. A frown creased Kyle's brow. _She could have sent a single taxi for all four semi-finalists..._

_**That would give the semi-finalists time to size each other up**_, Theoris noted. **_The suspense would be lost._**

_True._

"You'd better hurry," the cabbie advised. It was the first he'd spoken the entire time. "They're planning to leave shore in just a few minutes." 

Kyle's frown deepened. "It's leaving shore with us on it?" 

"That's the general idea." 

"Where's it going?" 

"Sorry, I don't get paid to know where it's going, I get paid to take you where I'm supposed to and tell you to get your ass on that boat before you lose the game by default. It's where the semi-finalists are, that's all I know." 

Kyle wisely said nothing more, but instead got out of the cab and made his way across the bridge and aboard the boat. A lone guard was standing watch over the entrance, but from the size of the man, Kyle could tell that only one was required. He seemed twice the height and weight of the cabbie that had brought him here, and how he was able to stand on one side of the boat without causing it to tip dangerously to port was a mystery to the teen. 

"ID," he said in a firm voice. Kyle, feeling obliged to indulge this mountain of a man, presented his driver's license. The guard nodded after a moment, apparently satisfied. "Go up the hall and turn left. Walk up that hall and stop in front of the blue door." 

Kyle did as he was told. _Why does this feel more and more like a death trap? We're on a boat, we're going out into the middle of nowhere, and there's a guy like that aboard blocking the exit._

**_Intimidation is a prevalent factor in a game. Especially one such as this._**

Kyle glanced up and down the hall, but there seemed to be nobody in either direction. He felt awkward standing here in front of a steel blue door, just waiting for something to happen. 

The awkwardness abated, however, when a voice came over the PA system set into the ceiling. _"Greetings, duelists, and congratulations for making it as far as you have. With the last of you aboard, we are now preparing to get underway, and the moment we drop anchor, the doors will open. After you're aboard your dueling platforms, they will rise automatically, so you won't know your opponent until you're already locked in combat with him or her."_

_"Locked" being the operative word_, Kyle scoffed. 

_"In the meantime, thank you for your patience so far, and make sure to have fun!"_

Kyle scoffed again. _Yeah, right. I'll have fun once I'm off this rig._ For several moments, nothing happened at all. 

But then the boat rocked just slightly to one side, and the deck rumbled – the engines were running. 

The door slid open. 

And there was a dueling arena waiting for him. 

Kyle stepped into the arena. This area of the cruise ship had apparently been hollowed out for it, and it wasn't hard to understand why; a holographic dueling arena required a huge space to operate. 

He was standing on the blue side of the arena. The platform was in its lowered position, ready to take him aboard. He stepped aboard it, but when he glanced to the left side, he noticed that there was no elevator button there. He frowned, not liking the concept of having to wait until the technicians were good and ready to let it rise. _But that's how Madison said this thing was going to go, and I'll abide by it._

After several moments of impatiently tapping his foot, he felt a slight rumble under his feet, and the servomotors in the platform elevated it to play height. He instinctively grabbed the railing to steady himself until the platform was finished rising. 

He glanced up and noticed that the red platform had likewise risen to play position. 

And that was when he saw his opponent. 

He paled. 

Monica, for her part, smiled broadly at him. "Well, well. What a pleasant surprise, Kyle. I wasn't expecting to be dueling you, but..." She shrugged. "You're just lucky it's me, I guess. Shall we get this going?" 

His mind raced. _I'm not ready to duel her yet... my deck's good, but not as good as what she's got..._

_**Relax, Kyle,**_ Theoris admonished. **_You have never dueled against Monica by way of the sacrificial rules that have been put into effect for this tournament. All you have seen are the strongest monsters she possesses. Now she is forced to use weaker monsters as well. You have as much a chance as anyone else._**

_Which is to say, not a very good one at all. She has a lot more confidence than I do when it comes to this game._

_**One would not think so to look at you, Kyle. So do not let her see that you are unnerved. Simply do your best. You have gotten this far, and you are already guaranteed a reward for your efforts. Push further. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.**_

_Well, it's good to know someone believes in me._

"C'mon, Kyle," said Monica, her tone becoming more serious. "Let's do this. We're both here, that means we're both good at this. Let's see which one of us is better. Give me everything you've got." 

His eyes hardened. "Fine. I will." 

"Good. Then you can go first." 

And the duel was on. 

------- 

_Whoops! Looks like that's the end of this chapter. People say I'm evil, and I cut off chappies in evil places, so... I guess it's true what the say. Coming up: the gut-wrenching duel you're all waiting for! Stay tuned! Meantime... *shamelessly begs for reviews* How am I doing? Could you tell me? Thanks and kudos to any and all reviewers!_


	34. Wrath of Dragons I

_A/N: Allrighty, folks, as I promised, it's the duel you've all been waiting for – Kyle vs. Monica, here for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!_

_Skraku: You want a duel, huh? Well, here, I'll give you a duel. Plus the idea about Theoris isn't all that bad... I may try that. Kudos!_

_Wolf: What's that? You wanted a full duel? Well, if you mean neither of them should surrender halfway through, you won't see that, no sir. This is quite a full duel. Full of action and suspense. At least, I hope. And they're coming, they're coming!_

_Eusine: As a suspense writer, it's my job to make sure people want the next chapter so badly they can't see straight. *wink* And you caught on to the "suspense would be lost" bit, did you? Kudos for that. Here's the next chapter for ya!_

_Mira: *shrugs* I guess most suspense writers are evil, then... except this one doesn't produce entire books in a stint, only chapters. Does that make me more evil? Anyway, yep, the sacrifice rules are crucial. I hope the duel lives up to your expectations!_

------- 

Kyle's LP - 4000 

Monica's LP - 4000 

-- 

Kyle drew his first six cards, and then shut his eyes tight for a moment. _Okay. This isn't any different from my other duels. Monica, right now, is just another opponent. I have to treat her like one. But this time, make sure my tactics are successful. I have to be careful._

_**Do you require my assistance? I have become just as experienced as you have through watching you duel. If you wish it, I am able to help.**_

_Thanks, but no thanks. I need to do this on my own. But you can spectate._

_**In that, I have not much choice.**_

_True, that._ He took a deep breath, released half of it, and announced his move. "First I place one magic/trap card face-down, and then one monster in defense mode. That ends my turn." 

The appropriate holograms appeared on the dueling field. 

Kyle could see Monica's smirk as she drew her sixth card. "I also place one magic/trap face-down," she answered, "and then I play the magic card Reasoning." 

He blinked. "I'm not familiar with that card." 

"Then allow me to explain. You call a number, from one to eleven. Then I draw cards until I come across a monster. If the number you called is the level of the monster I drew, the monster goes to the graveyard. If it isn't, it's special summoned to the field. Either way, any other cards I draw will go to the graveyard." 

Kyle frowned. _So what level would be prevalent among her cards? Probably_ "Level 4." 

Upon his pronouncement, she drew her next card – and then frowned. "Huh. Well, that's annoying." She flipped the card around for him to see. "My Luster Dragon #1 (1900/1600), level 4. To the graveyard it goes, I guess." 

Kyle felt a small surge of victory. _Hey, that wasn't so bad. Might have been better if she'd lost a few more cards in the transit, but_

"In that case, I'll also place a monster face-down and end my turn." 

_Even fields now._ Kyle drew his next card. _I want to be careful, but I know she has a Blue-Eyes in her deck. Who knows, she might have more than one. She's definitely got more tricks up her sleeve than just that but first she has to sacrifice monsters for it, and I can't let that happen._ "I sacrifice my face-down Sangan (1000/600) in order to play Firewing Pegasus (2250/1800) in attack mode." 

The holographic Sangan appeared only for a moment before disappearing in a plume of smoke, giving rise to the more powerful creature. Kyle picked up his deck and searched for a monster with an attack power of 1500 or less, as per Sangan's effect, then re-shuffled his deck before ordering, "Firewing Pegasus, attack her face-down monster!" 

A stream of red flame burst across the dueling field and blasted the holographic face-down card. The card flipped over and revealed a woman in dark robes, cowering in the attack before vanishing in a hail of sparks. 

"You destroyed my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)," said Monica, and she again smirked as she took up her deck and chose a monster out of it, just as Kyle had. 

_Fine by me_, he thought. _If it's a goody, that just means it'll be fodder for my face-down._ "End turn." 

She drew, then announced, "I play Goblin Attack Force (2300/0) in attack mode." 

A swarm of goblins appeared on one of her monster spaces. They looked uncomfortably crammed, and eager to attack. However, Monica surprised Kyle by saying, "I'll end my turn there." 

**_Why did she not attack? Her monster is stronger than yours._**

_She probably figures my face-down is a trap. And she's right. But maybe I can get her to think it's not going to prevent her from attacking._ He drew. "I place one monster face-down and switch Firewing Pegasus to defense mode." 

The flame-winged horse knelt down then, and a face-down card appeared on its right. 

**_Kyle, that is a dangerous maneuver. If she were to draw another monster with an attack power above 1800, your trap would not save Firewing Pegasus._**

_I know._

Monica drew, then grinned. "All right. I play Change of Heart to take control of Firewing Pegasus for one turn." 

Accordingly, the Pegasus hologram flew across the arena and landed next to Goblin Attack Force. 

"Now I'm switching it back to attack mode, where it belongs." She shook her finger at Kyle. "Never leave yourself open like that. Much better to leave it in attack mode." 

"And risk my Life Points? No, thank you," he sniffed. 

"If you say so. Firewing Pegasus, attack his face-down monster!" 

**_Now would be a perfect time to employ your trap._**

_I'm not going to use it until I really need it. This is just a softening tactic; she's biding her time until she can get the giants on the field. Red-Eyes, Blue-Eyes, Hyozanryu, Luster Dragon #2, Summoned Skull_

_**All the more reason to prevent her from using your own monsters as sacrifice fodder. If she has Blue-Eyes in her hand, she could very well summon it this turn.**_

_She's not going to sacrifice anything until she feels she can risk it. And even if she were to bring it out this turn I'm not going to worry about her Blue-Eyes attacking, because she only gets one Battle Phase._

The burst of fire washed over his face-down monster card, which flipped over and revealed a pair of demon-possessed high heels squawking in protest before vanishing. "You've attacked my Bite Shoes (500/300)," Kyle announced, "and when flipped, they allow me to force one of your monsters to defense mode. And I don't much feel like suffering a direct attack because of Goblin Attack Force, so that's the one I choose." 

"Suit yourself," she shrugged, reaching out to her dueling board and turning the card sideways. A moment later, the holographic goblins abruptly switched from their eagerness to attack to an extremely relaxed state. Some of them laid down on the field and started to doze. 

Kyle rolled his eyes. _Crazy goblins._

"Before I end my turn, I'm going to sacrifice Firewing Pegasus for a face-down monster," Monica declared. Pegasus vanished in a column of blue light, and was replaced by a face-down card. 

Kyle groaned and discarded his monster. _Great. Now I've got nothing and she's still got two._

**_You said it yourself, she would not sacrifice unless she felt the risk was justified._**

_Let's just hope I can make a comeback before I start losing Life Points._

"My turn's done," she cheerfully declared. 

He drew his next card silently, then chewed his lip. _Risky. But it could work._ "I play Muka Muka (600/300) in attack mode." 

A chittering insectoid creature appeared on his field where Firewing Pegasus had been moments before. "With four cards in my hand, he gains a bonus of 1200 attack and defense points, which makes him rather above average for a level 2 monster." 

"That it does," Monica agreed. "Gonna put him to use, or keep me waiting?" 

"Nah, I'll use him. Muka Muka, attack Goblin Attack Force!" 

The small Rock-type creature skittered across the field and slashed through the defensive goblins with its oversized pincers. They bellowed and argued, but nonetheless vanished under the swipes of the creature's claws. 

"And end turn," Kyle said. 

"Hrm." Monica drew, then grinned again. "I play Dimensional Warrior (1200/1000) in attack mode." 

A red-headed humanoid wearing silver armor shimmered into existence next to Monica's face-down card. 

Kyle frowned. _I know that card's effect. When it's involved in battle, no matter what the outcome is, both it and the monster it's battling are removed from the game._

**_And she is undoubtedly intending to use it on your monster._**

"Dimensional Warrior, attack Muka Muka!" 

Kyle ground his teeth. _I have to keep a monster on my field – at this point, I don't have much choice._ He flipped over his trap card. "Activate Widespread Ruin!" 

The Widespread Ruin card on the holo-field flipped face-up, and a cloud of red and orange fire burst from the picture and engulfed Monica's Dimensional Warrior. Monica only smirked. "You should have waited on that card, Kyle. I would have lost Life Points as well as a monster." 

"You're going to lose Life Points anyway," Kyle retorted. "It'll just take a while longer." 

She laughed. "If you say so. It's your turn." 

He drew his next card. _Paydirt. On the other hand, now that I've got five cards in my hand, Muka Muka's attack strength is 2100 but I can't afford not to have other monsters on my field in case she gains the offensive._ "I play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode." 

On the field, there appeared a machine comprised of a central golden orb and several spindly limbs. _Compliments of Cody "Chubs" Smith. Not only this one, but Firewing Pegasus, too. I probably wouldn't have gotten as far as I have without Chubs helping me out. I'll have to make sure to send some of my earnings his way._ "Mechanicalchaser, attack her face-down monster!" 

The Machine-type monster bolted across the field and stabbed into the face-down card – but was repelled by a stream of fire. 

"You're not the only one who can play with matches," Monica giggled. "Say hello to my Meteor Dragon (1800/2000). You might have wanted to hang on to that monster and used Muka Muka to attack." 

"It's a bit late for that, now, isn't it?" 

"Which is why I'm saying it now," she said sweetly. "And you've lost Life Points for that attack." 

"150? Big deal." 

"First rule of Duel Monsters, Kyle you need all the Life Points you can get." 

Kyle scowled. "End turn, in any case." 

She drew her next card. "Now I play Different Dimension Capsule. This magic card lets me pick any one card from my deck and remove it from the game for two turns. On the standby phase of my second turn, that card comes to my hand. In the meantime, the capsule stays on the field." 

A cybernetic orb appeared behind her Meteor Dragon and hovered there. "Two turns, Kyle. And now I sacrifice my Meteor Dragon to play Summoned Skull (2500/1200) in attack mode." 

In a burst of electricity, her Meteor Dragon vanished and was replaced by a demonic skeletal creature. 

"And before you decide to get cute and try to power your Muka Muka up high enough to withstand an attack Summoned Skull, attack Muka Muka!" 

Her Summoned Skull growled, then sent a stream of lightning toward the small creature. It chattered as it was fried to a crisp, and then it vanished. 

"Another 700 Life Points gone, Kyle." And it was true – Kyle's Life Points had by this time descended to 3150, as opposed to her untouched 4000. 

"I'm not worried," he responded. 

"You should be. End turn." 

He drew, and scowled. _This isn't going to do me any good._ "I place one monster face-down and switch Mechanicalchaser to defense mode. End turn." 

She chuckled. "Won't do you much good most monsters could destroy a defensive Mechanicalchaser." She drew. "I place one magic/trap card face-down, and then play The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (1300/2000) in attack mode." A large green dragon appeared next to Summoned Skull; it lay on its belly, but its huge snout was emitting clouds of smoke and there was no doubt it had power to offer. 

"What, to prove your point?" 

"Somewhat. Dragon, attack his Mechanicalchaser." 

A burst of green flame engulfed his Mechanicalchaser and rent it to ash and twisted metal before it exploded and vanished. 

"Now, Summoned Skull, attack his face-down monster." 

Another flare of electricity soared from Summoned Skull and wreathed Kyle's defensive Kotodama (0/1600). It squealed in protest and then vanished. 

"End turn." 

Kyle drew his next card, and tried his best not to gawk at it. _This couldn't even protect me from an attack by her dragon, much less Summoned Skull!_

_**It is the only option available to you right now, Kyle – Monica is not liable to attack "just to see what it is", so I believe she would have her Summoned Skull attack first. Which means you will not lose as many Life Points as you would if she knew what that card was.**_

_Thanks for the advice_ "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn." 

She drew, then grinned. "Time for my Different Dimension Capsule to open up." 

The orb opened up in the middle, and in the midst of the blinding light emanating from its center, Kyle could just make out a magic card. He squinted into it, trying to get a better look at it. 

Then he paled. _Oh, no_

Monica's grin broadened. "It's my Polymerization magic card. I'm sure you, of all people, know what it does." 

"Yeah I know." 

"Good. Because I'm using it post-haste, and I'm fusing together Summoned Skull and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my hand to play Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500) in attack mode." 

Kyle ground his teeth as the holograms of her Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon twisted around each other and merged to form an even larger beast that unquestionably dominated the dueling field. It had the same skeletal characteristics and body as Summoned Skull, but the bones had darkened and sharpened, augmented by the part of it that was Red-Eyes. Its head was also much more reminiscent of a Red-Eyes, and its massive, demonic wings beat slowly against the air. Kyle almost though he could detect a breeze – and a hot one at that. 

_If she attacks with her Dragon Dwelling first, I'm done for_

"Black Skull Dragon, attack his face-down!" 

He let out his held breath. _Whew_

A multitude of fireballs shot forth and blasted his Harpie's Brother (1800/600) to oblivion. 

Monica frowned. "Huh. I should have attacked with my other dragon first. Goes to show what mistakes I can make, too. Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, attack his Life Points!" 

Another stream of green flame flew across the arena, and it pressed against his dueling pedestal. Kyle squinted through the light as his Life Point counters descended to 1850. 

"Next I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn. Better make your next move a good one, Kyle, because I'm getting the feeling it's going to be your last one if it's anything but." 

Kyle drew his next card – and grinned. "Then take a look, Monica, because this duel is still on. I play Dark Hole, to rid the field of all monsters." 

Monica narrowed her eyes at her opponent as her creatures were swept away by the crushing pressures of a black hole in the center of the dueling field. "How annoying." 

"Tell me about it. Now I play Dark Zebra (1800/400) in attack mode." 

Kyle's Dark Zebra looked ready for battle, and it stamped its hoof impatiently. 

"Dark Zebra, attack her Life Points!" 

"Not so fast. Activate Mirror Force!" 

Dark Zebra charged across the field, but just as it was about to hit her dueling pedestal, her Mirror Force card flipped up and got in the way. The Duel Monster shattered in a hail of holographic glass. 

"Mirror Force is especially effective if you're dealing with a bunch of opposing monsters, but it'll work in this case, too," she noted. "And now that that's overwith, I'm also activating my Jar of Greed, which allows me to draw one extra card." 

"It also leaves you with an empty field." 

"Your field isn't exactly full, either, and you've already summoned a monster this turn." 

Kyle sighed. "True. End turn." 

Monica drew another card. "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn." 

Kyle drew. _Hrm. This duel may take a while at this rate._ "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn." 

"Wonder which of us will get the offensive," she noted as she drew. "But I suppose I'll give it a shot. I play Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in attack mode." 

A man wearing armor comprised of dragon bones wavered into being. 

"Lord of Dragons, attack his face-down monster." 

Kyle blinked. _That's rather daring of her. But whatever she wants_

Her Lord of Dragons conjured a dragon spirit and sent it shooting toward the face-down card. The monster card flipped over and revealed a disgusting worm-like creature that squealed once before jumping across the expanse and wrapping around its attacker. 

Monica blanched. "Eww what _is_ that?" 

"It's my Kiseitai (300/800)," Kyle responded proudly. "When it's attacked while face-down, it equips to its attacker, and during each of your Standby Phases, I gain Life Points equal to half the equipped monster's attack points." 

"So in other words, now you get 600 Life Points for every one of my turns." 

"You've got it." 

"Nasty thing." Monica shook her head. "Dunno why anyone would want such an ugly creature in their deck." 

"The same could be said for your dragons," Kyle smirked. 

She glowered. "Your move." 

He drew his next card and sighed inwardly at his hand. _I'll survive for another couple turns, maybe, but I really have to find a way to defend myself soon._ "I place one magic/trap card face-down and end my turn." 

Monica drew her next card, and in the process, Kyle's Life Points rose to 2450. She glared at the ascending numbers. "I hope you like the LP boost, Kyle, because you're not going to get one for very long. I play Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) in attack mode." 

"I think you're a bit eager, there, Monica," he said conversationally, flipping his face-down card as he spoke. "Activate Trap Hole." 

Just as soon as it appeared on the field, Monica's Wall of Illusion crumbled and vanished into an abyss that spontaneously appeared beneath it. 

"Well, fine," she sniffed. "Lord of Dragons, attack his Life Points!" 

Another dragon spirit bolted forth, and this time it struck Kyle's dueling pedestal. His Life Points descended to 1250. 

"End turn." 

His next card didn't do him any more justice than the last one, and he sighed again. "All right, one face-down magic/trap, and end turn." 

She narrowed her eyes at him as she drew. "I think I'll ply it safe and place a monster face-down this time," she announced, as his Life Points rose back up to 1850. "Lord of Dragons, attack his Life Points again." 

The next dragon spirit caused Kyle's Life Points to decline yet again, this time to 650. "End turn." 

_C'mon, deck, give me something to work with!_

The next card Kyle drew caused him to smile in relief. "Whew," he said. "Okay, _now_ we're getting somewhere. I play Graceful Charity." 

"One would hope the next three cards you draw are better than two of whatever's in your hand, then," she said. 

"Looks like they are, at that," he responded. "I'm discarding Launcher Spider and Judge Man, and then I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn." 

"Your defenses aren't going to last forever," she responded, as his Life Points again ascended another 600 points. "And your Life Point gains stop here. I sacrifice Lord of Dragons and my face-down Spirit Reaper (300/200) in order to play Hyozanryu (2100/2800) in attack mode!" 

Her Lord of Dragons and face-down monster, along with Kiseitai, vanished in a burst of light. In their place, Monica's favorite dragon appeared on the field amidst a shower of sparkles. It had a horn on its snout of pure topaz, and its wings were crystalline. Its eyes shone sapphire, and its razored teeth were diamond. 

"Hyozanryu, attack his face-down monster!" 

The massive dragon flew across the arena and gored the face-down with its huge horn. The card flipped and revealed a petite spellcaster that was futilely trying to shield herself from the attack. 

"Thanks," said Kyle. "You've just destroyed my Magician of Faith (300/400), so I'll bring one magic card back from my graveyard." 

She glowered. "I've got a pretty good idea of what that magic card is, too." 

"Then I guess we'll see if you're as clairvoyant as you claim." 

"Yeah, I guess we will. I place one magic/trap face-down and my turn's finished here." 

Kyle smirked as he drew his next card. "That won't do you any good. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the card you just placed." 

Her eyes narrowed further as she disposed of her Trap Hole. 

"Good. Now I play Dark Hole once more. Bye-bye, Hyozanryu." 

The crystalline dragon vanished into the black vortex at the center of the field, as had two other dragons before it. 

"With that out of the way, I play Robotic Knight (1600/1800) in attack mode." 

Now on Kyle's field there existed another Machine-type monster bearing a long sword in its only hand – the other arm bore a Gatling gun for a hand. 

"Robotic Knight, attack her Life Points!" 

Kyle's Robotic Knight took careful aim with its gun-arm and fired several rounds into Monica's dueling pedestal. 

In response, her Life Point counters descended to 2400. 

"Now _this_ is a duel," Kyle grinned. "End turn." 

She glared as she drew her next card. "I play my own Graceful Charity," she responded, and after only a moment, she continued, "I'll discard Fusion Sage and Light of Intervention. Then I place one monster face-down and end my turn." 

As Kyle drew his next card, however, it was evident that Monica wasn't finished speaking. "Before you move on to your Main Phase, I'm activating my Thunder of Ruler trap card. This keeps you from attacking my monster this turn." 

_Thunder of Ruler while all I've got is Robotic Knight? Her monster must be pretty weak guess that means I'll have to push to destroy it._ He looked at the card he'd drawn. _Or maybe she was anticipating this. Whatever._ "Fine, then. In any event, I sacrifice my Robotic Knight to play Amphibian Beast (2400/2000) in attack mode. But since I can't attack, I'll end my turn there." 

Kyle's Amphibian Beast certainly looked imposing on the dueling field, and even more so when considering Monica had used Thunder of Ruler to defend against his Robotic Knight. Nevertheless, she drew her next card without hesitation and declared, "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn." 

Kyle frowned. _What's she up to? Probably trying to defend her face-down_ He drew his next card. _I should have a contingency, and I need monsters._ "I place one monster in defense mode. Amphibian Beast, attack her face-down monster!" 

The creature's swiping claws slashed through the face-down card, which revealed a minuscule, spear-bearing lizard for just a moment before it vanished. 

"You've destroyed my Troop Dragon (700/800)," she said. "And its special effect allows me to special summon another one just like it straight from my deck. Then I get to shuffle, which gives me a chance to turn the duel around." 

"Or lose it." 

"That, too, but I'll take my chances." After a moment, another Troop Dragon appeared in defense mode on Monica's field. "You done?" 

"Yeah, your turn." 

Monica drew her next card, frowned for a moment, then said, "I'll refrain from playing a card this turn. Back to you." 

Kyle blinked, but drew in silence. _She must not be getting anything worth using. Push harder, Kyle._ "I play Pot of Greed to draw two new cards." 

"By all means." 

"Then I place one magic/trap face-down, along with another monster face-down. Amphibian Beast, attack!" 

His creature's slashing claws cut through the Troop Dragon easily, but yet a third one appeared on her field a moment later. 

"I should have known you'd have three of them," he muttered. _Luckily for me, three's the max you can have in a deck._ "End turn." 

She drew 

Then laughed. 

"Oh, this has been a great duel, Kyle," she said, beaming. "Better than any you've ever given me. The new rules do wonders for you." 

"You make it sound like it's over." 

"It may as well be. I play Soul Exchange, which lets me tribute one of your monsters in the absence of the second one I need. And the sacrifice I want is Amphibian Beast." 

Kyle frowned. _There've been cards for sacrifice rules all along?_

_**If you consider it, sacrifices are required in order for the effects of other cards. It may very well be that Soul Exchange was made with that purpose in mind.**_

_True, but what's–?_

"And I'm also sacrificing my Troop Dragon," she continued, "in order to play this!" 

She slapped a card in the center of her dueling pedestal. 

And from the vanishing light of Troop Dragon's flashy disappearance rose a monster that was absolutely unmistakable. 

Its spiked, armor-like shell was ivory. Its blazing eyes glowed an even brighter sapphire than those of Hyozanryu. Its huge wings spanned her entire side of the holographic field. 

"Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" 

-- 

_Coming up next: Kyle could barely defend himself before, and Monica doesn't look too merciful now! Will Kyle conjure a successful defense against Monica's rampage, or will Monica overrun Kyle to take on the opposing finalist? Find out next time! (*insert feedback here*)_


	35. Wrath of Dragons II

_A/N: Part 2 of Kyle vs. Monica! Gotta love it._

Wolf: Aw, c'mon, you can't expect me to write a duel this big and not make it span more than one chapter! That's too short. Besides which, you're getting loads of action and comparative little talk, a far cry from the series. And on top of all that, that last chapter was twice as long as my usual ones. So is this one. Enjoy them!

Skraku: Well, what do YOU think? Here's your new chappie, in any event.

Eusine: Hey, it looks like the suspense is doing its job! More people should follow your example and get into this story. Yes, Matt is an arrogant egotist. As opposed to the Elegant Egotist. Matt isn't one of those. Right.

Monica: Well, thank you. I'm glad you have such a high opinion of my written duels. I must admit, it's quite difficult, but it's also quite fun, and reader reaction like yours makes the effort even more worthwhile.

Mira: Augh! I've been threatened with non-reviewing! I get that from Ankhutenshi all the time. Since you insist, here's your chappie!

-------

Kyle's LP - 1250

Monica's LP - 2400

--

_Whoa. It looks awesome as a hologram._

Theoris sent waves of amusement. **_You do not feel the slightest bit worried about the monster that just appeared, Kyle?_**

Of course I'm worried. Last thing I need is for my defenses to crumble to that thing. But still... even you would have to say it looks amazing.

**It does, at that. And beautiful, in its own strange way. But yet dangerous.**

Monica was laughing aloud. "This is so cool! I'll have to thank our hosts for making the card database in this platform so complete."

"They're probably recording the plays we make," Kyle blandly replied. "Now they know you have a Blue-Eyes."

"If I didn't feel ready to reveal it, I wouldn't have played it," she answered. "The real shame is that because of Soul Exchange, I can't attack this turn, otherwise I'd take this duel in a heartbeat. So I'll end my turn there."

"How very kind of you," Kyle snorted, drawing. _This monster should give me a few new options. But first I need to stash this card._ "I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster in defense mode, then end my turn."

She drew her next card, then raised an eyebrow. "Well. I need something new anyway. So I play Card Destruction."

Kyle snorted. _Ironic... that card makes us discard our hands and then draw the same number of cards we lost. I hope I don't draw anything good just yet. Luckily I only have one card in my hand to begin with._

**As does Monica. Your strategy may work more wonders for her than it will for you.**

That's a risk I'll have to take. "I lose my Crass Clown," he said.

"And I've got to get rid of my Flute of Summoning Dragon," she responded.

Both players drew a single new card. She beamed at hers. "Hope you got something good. This card's killer. So I'm placing this magic/trap face-down. Now that that's out of the way... Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack the monster he just placed!"

In response, the massive dragon's maw opened wide, and a stream of white energy boiled from it. The raw energy washed over Kyle's face-down and obliterated it.

But not before it flipped over and revealed a brownish pot containing a glowing red eye and a devilish grin. It laughed maniacally as it was destroyed.

Kyle smirked. "You've destroyed my Morphing Jar (700/600), which gives me exactly what I need – more cards."

"Not just you, me too," she said. "Lucky for me, I don't have a hand to discard. I just get to draw five new cards. Hope you're not losing anything special."

"My Mystical Elf would have been destroyed anyway," he said, nonchalantly discarding it before likewise drawing five new cards.

"True, that. I'm surprised," she noted. "Morphing Jar's pretty rare. You're actually fighting back with hard-to-find cards now?"

"It doesn't matter to me what rarity they are, as long as they help me win."

"Hnh. Well, I don't have anything new I want to offer at this point, so I'll end my turn there."

Kyle drew his next card in silence, then glanced at his field. _Okay. It's now or never._ He reached out to the m/t he'd placed during his previous turn and flipped it over. "I'm full of surprises today. I had to be ready for Morphing Jar's effect, so I put this down beforehand. Now I'm itching to use it. I play Monster Reborn to revive your Black Skull Dragon!"

But just as the magic of Monster Reborn began to swirl about on the field, Monica smirked and flipped over the card she'd placed last turn. "What, you didn't think I had the same idea? But trap cards are so much faster than Monster Reborn, and this one is particularly effective. Activate Call of the Haunted, which allows me to revive one of my own monsters. Since I don't particularly feel like relinquishing my Black Skull Dragon to you, I'll grab it myself."

With that, the magic of her Call of the Haunted card swept across the field faster than Kyle's Monster Reborn could spread its own, and her Black Skull Dragon emerged from a column of smoke next to her Blue-Eyes.

He frowned. _Damn, I really could have used that, too... I don't have any other revival cards in my deck, and I'm fresh out of ways to get that one back._

**_Then you will have to, as you say, "make do with what you have"._**

_Thanks for the support._ "In that case," he said, "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then play Dream Clown (1200/900) in attack mode."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're goading me into attacking."

"Far as I'm concerned, you don't have much of a choice if you don't want me using his effect next turn. End turn."

She glared as she drew her next card. _That face-down he played has got to be a trap to keep me from attacking, otherwise he wouldn't risk his Life Points like that. He isn't that stupid. But he's right, if I don't at least try to attack him..._ "I place one magic/trap face-down," she announced, "and then play Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode."

Alongside Black Skull Dragon there appeared a blue-skinned dragon whose head would have suited a swordfish perfectly.

"Black Skull Dragon, attack Dream Clown!"

But the incoming fireballs were deflected by a cadre of spellcasters that rose up in defense of Kyle's monster and took the hit for it. Kyle smirked. "Activate Waboku. Reduces all battle damage I take this turn to zero."

She fumed. _He's probably going to destroy Black Skull Dragon!_ "End turn."

Kyle didn't pay much attention to his next card. "I shift Dream Clown to defense mode."

The crudely-dressed creature on Kyle's field knelt down, using one hand for support. The other hand loosed a stream of dark energy that wreathed Black Skull Dragon, confirming Monica's suspicions.

"I'm sending Black Skull Dragon back to your graveyard," said Kyle.

"Lucky me," she muttered. "Not only that, you got rid of my Call of the Haunted card."

"That I did. And my turn's finished here."

She drew her next card, then grinned. "Ha. I play Heavy Storm to destroy all magic/trap cards currently on the field."

Blasts of lightning shot from the high-mounted holoprojectors and crackled across both m/t fields. Kyle's Reinforcements and Michizure trap cards were revealed shortly before being blown away, which gave Monica cause to frown as her own Trap Hole and Widespread Ruin traps. _He's got some seriously good cards going over there. Almost getting me worried. But I've got the advantage with monsters, and even more of one with magic/trap cards, now._ "I place two magic/traps face-down to follow up. Now, Blue-Eyes, destroy his Dream Clown!"

Again Blue-Eyes' mouth craned open and let loose a flood of white lightning. Dream Clown screeched for a moment before disintegrating in the onslaught.

"Spear Dragon, attack his defensive monster on the right!"

Her Spear Dragon bolted across the arena with a ll the speed of a well-nocked arrow and struck the designated face-down – only to be repelled just before it actually ran the card through.

"Luckily my Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) can stand up to that monster," said Kyle.

Monica glowered as her Life Points descended to 2300. "Spear Dragon goes to defense mode because it attacked an opposing monster," she said. "And I'll have to end my turn."

Kyle drew, and when he spied the card, he fought down a grin. _This is exactly what I need._ "I place two magic/trap cards face-down," he announced, "and then flip my Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) to attack mode."

His face-down monster card flipped up and a wall composed of bone and flesh, adorned with a grayish face in the middle, appeared next to his Spirit of the Harp.

Monica frowned. "What use is putting your Wall in attack mode? You trying to get me to attack again?"

"Didn't you notice? Your Spear Dragon is in defense mode and doesn't have any defense points. Either of my monsters could attack it and destroy it."

"Your Spirit's face-up. You wouldn't have to risk a Trap Hole with it."

"Trap Hole was exactly what I was checking for," he responded. "Because if you had one, you'd have used it in order to clear my field of yet another irritating monster."

"Not necessarily. If I attacked your Wall with Blue-Eyes now, you'd lose all of your Life Points, which makes Wall's effect rather insignificant. I could care less about Spear Dragon if it means I can get the win from a clumsy move you make."

"You'd prefer to decimate all of my monsters. And this move's anything but clumsy," he answered. "Wall of Illusion, attack Spear Dragon!"

The face on Kyle's Wall suddenly "came to life", and its mouth opened wide. Its eyes and mouth glowed neon blue for a moment, then released a surge of dark energy which wrapped about Spear Dragon and obliterated it.

He raised an eyebrow when the smoke cleared to reveal Monica had activated a trap card. "Well, well, what have we got here?"

"I've activated my Reckless Greed trap," she answered, "which lets me draw two cards. The only drawback is that I have to skip drawing for my next two turns."

_Sounds like she's getting almost desperate over there. And she hasn't even seen what I've really got in store._ "Fair enough. But I'm not nearly done with my turn yet."

"Then keep going already."

He smirked. "Okay. Just remember, you asked for it. With my Battle Phase overwith, I sacrifice my Spirit of the Harp and Wall of Illusion in order to play Sanga of the Thunder (2600/2200) in attack mode!"

Seeing his Labyrinth Brother appear on the holographic field brought him a rather strong sense of deja vu. _Last time I saw this hologram, it was opposing me and scaring me worse than Monica's Blue-Eyes ever would have. And now it's on my side, ready to defend to the last._

The expression on Monica's face was well-worth the risk of summoning Sanga. Her jaw dropped as the red-and-gold creature overtook Kyle's monster field and crackled with yellow static. "You have a Labyrinth Brother?!"

"I do, indeed," he grinned. "What was that you were saying about a deck full of commons?"

She seemed rather speechless, which prompted Theoris to lightly admonish Kyle. **_You need not feel such satisfaction at her expression. She obviously has knowledge of the Labyrinth Brothers, which means the battle is still undecided. Her expression should be the least of your concerns now._**

_Yeah, yeah... but this is the first time she's even caught wind that I had one, much less seen it on a dueling platform._ "I end my turn there."

Monica attempted to regain her composure, and was moderately successful in the endeavor. She refrained from drawing as per her Reckless Greed card, but that apparently didn't stop her from drawing at all. "I play Pot of Greed to draw another two cards." After she'd done just that, she frowned at her hand. _You pick the most inconvenient time to become unhelpful. Fine..._ "I play the magic card Nightmare Steelcage."

Upon activation of her card, a semicircular cage with thick bars festooned with long spikes stretched around Sanga and trapped it. Kyle raised an eyebrow. "What's this supposed to do, exactly?"

"It stops either of us from attacking for two of your following turns. Gives us both time to wise up. Obviously brute force isn't going to cut it anymore on my part. I may never have encountered a Labyrinth Brother in battle but I know full well how dangerous they can be, so I'm not going to bother with attacking it. Instead, I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

"Hm." Kyle drew his next card. "Looks like I'll be doing likewise." A defensive card appeared next to Sanga; because of its non-threatening nature, it didn't fall under the Steelcage hologram, though Kyle had no doubt it would be inside if it were in attack mode. "End turn."

Monica once again had to forego drawing. "I place another monster face-down and end my turn."

_Hm. At this rate we won't be getting anywhere. I should try to draw her out._

**And how do you intend to do that?**

He drew his next card. _I'll show you._ "I place another monster face-down, then switch Sanga to defense mode and end my turn."

Sanga's stance on the field – if it could be said to have a stance, devoid as it was of legs – became more docile, the electric field around it more protective than offensive.

**_What good will come of Sanga becoming defensive? Its effect would operate whether in attack or defense mode._**

Exactly, and Monica's Life Points are higher than Sanga's defense points. She's the type who'd be willing to throw caution to the wind and attack even a Labyrinth Brother if she thought she could survive the effect. In defense mode, Sanga won't counterattack, so if Blue-Eyes goes after it, Monica would only lose 2200 Life Points, and not her monster. She'd still be in the duel after Sanga's effect.

**Or so you would have her believe.**

That's the idea.

The Nightmare Steelcage around Sanga vanished as Monica was finally allowed to draw her next card. She smirked. "Here we go. I play Monster Reborn."

_Oh, great, she's going to revive one of her other dragons..._

"On Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in defense mode!"

Kyle blinked and frowned. _What?_ But his ears had not misheard, because Monica's Lord of Dragons appeared next to her latest face-down monster, knee bent in a defensive stance.

"And now," she continued, "I sacrifice my defending Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) in order to bring out Luster Dragon #2 (2400/1400) in attack mode!"

In place of the monster card her Lord of Dragons had taken up residence next to, there appeared a huge dragon whose skin shone emerald and looked about as hard as that material, as well.

_Was wondering when that one would come out_, Kyle thought, recalling the first and only holographic duel he'd ever seen her participate in. She had used that same monster then.

"And finally, I flip my Zombyra the Dark (2100/500) to attack mode," she announced. Between Blue-Eyes and Luster Dragon, an armored warrior wearing a long red cape shimmered into existence.

_That's a suitable attack force, but why did she play Monster Reborn to bring back a monster as weak as Lord of Dragons?_

**Because of its special effect, which you have been a victim of many times before in previous duels with her. While Lord of Dragons is on the field, her dragons cannot be targets for magic, traps, or the special effects of any monster.**

_How does that apply here?_

**I submit that she has seen through your strategy of drawing out an attack. She does intend to attack your defensive Sanga... but with a dragon, so that Sanga's effect cannot apply to its attacker.**

In which case, it's a good thing Sanga's in defense mode.

"Blue-Eyes, attack Sanga of the Thunder!"

"Not so fast," Kyle responded, and he flipped over one of his face-down cards. "Activate The Reliable Guardian, which increases Sanga's defense power by 700."

A large silver shield insinuated itself between Sanga and the incoming burst of lightning. Monica smirked. "Not all that good at math, are you, Kyle? That only takes Sanga's defense to 2900. Last time I checked, Blue-Eyes' attack was 3000."

"You're not countering the activation," Kyle said, "so I'm going to take the opportunity to activate my other face-down card, Castle Walls."

Now a set of four turrets posted themselves in a square around Sanga, and a collection of brick walls built up around both Sanga and the large shield hovering in front of it.

"That takes Sanga's defense up another 500 points, which means he's safe by a good 400."

The Castle Walls crumbled under the assault, and the shield developed a large crack down the middle – but it held.

Monica glowered as her Life Points dropped to 1900, closer now to Kyle's 1250. "You had this planned all along, didn't you?"

"Mostly," Kyle admitted. "Except for the Lord of Dragons, wasn't expecting him. I wanted to use Sanga's effect, but I guess that'll wait a while, now."

"Yeah, guess it will," she snapped. "But I'm not going to waste this chance to get rid of your other monsters. Luster Dragon, attack the monster he played last turn!"

A burst of green flame emanated from Luster Dragon's maw and washed over Kyle's second face-down, which revealed a woman in dark robes.

"Deja vu, huh?" Kyle asked, grinning. "You've destroyed my Witch of the Black Forest, thus making me privy to her effect." He picked through his deck for an appropriate monster.

Monica ground her teeth. "Zombyra, attack his remaining face-down!"

Without further ado, the warrior leaped forward and brought a heavy blow down upon Kyle's last hidden monster, a defending Aqua Madoor (1200/2000).

"At least _that_ one had no hidden effects," she muttered.

"No, but your Zombyra does, if I'm not too much mistaken," Kyle responded, "because it looks like he just lost attack points."

"Yeah," she mumbled, "he did. Two hundred to be exact, but don't get your hopes up, he's still good for another high-powered hit."

"Not if I destroy him first."

She glared. "End turn."

Kyle drew. "I place one magic/trap card and one monster face-down," he announced, "and then shift Sanga back into attack mode."

The static around Sanga began to crackle a little more loudly and occur more frequently.

"Sanga, attack Lord of Dragons!"

Sanga brought its clawed hands close together, and between them there appeared a glowing yellow orb of electrical energy. It was from that orb that the attack came, a devastating bolt of golden lightning. Lord of Dragons was incinerated on the spot.

"And that ends my turn," said Kyle.

Monica drew her next card, but from the look on her face, it wasn't an especially pleasing card. "I'm sending Luster Dragon and Zombyra to defense mode. Blue-Eyes, attack his face-down monster!"

"Not so fat," said Kyle. "Activate Raigeki Break!"

Her brow furrowed. "A Raigeki card?"

"A version of it. You're familiar with the more powerful magic card Raigeki, but Raigeki Break is a trap that's much more precise... it allows me to destroy any one card in play, magic/trap or monster, by discarding one card from my hand. I'm discarding my Reverse Trap to activate its effect, and the target I'm choosing is your Blue-Eyes."

Her eyes widened. "No!"

But there was nothing she could do. A streak of lightning seared from the holographic trap card that had materialized on Kyle's field, and blasted right through the powerful dragon. When the light receded, there was nothing left but a smoldering field plate where the dragon had stood moments before, leaving only her defensive Luster Dragon and Zombyra.

If looks could kill, Monica's glare would have had Kyle six feet under. "I'll have to end my turn, then."

Kyle drew his next card, then looked back up at Monica. "It's been an awesome duel," he said. "And a privilege to duel you like this."

"And don't you think otherwise."

"Never have. Never will." He reached out to his pedestal and turned over his face-down monster. "I flip Hane-Hane (450/500) into attack mode. His effect allows me to send one monster back to its owner's hand... so I'm sending your Luster Dragon back to you."

The Luster Dragon hologram vanished from the field as Monica silently complied.

"And now, I sacrifice Hane-Hane for Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode."

The Hane-Hane hologram also vanished, to be replaced by the construct of brick and mortar that Kyle had come to know from his previous duel with Zack.

"Millennium Golem, attack Zombyra the Dark!"

Instantly, Kyle's monster was upon Zombyra; it brought a crushing blow down upon the defending monster with its massive brick fists. Zombyra shattered in a hail of holographic glass.

_And now the path is wide open._ "Sanga, attack her Life Points directly!"

Sanga's orb of lightning was its weapon of choice this time, and it hurled the orb straight at Monica's dueling pedestal. Its impact caused it to burst "open", and the light was blinding – Kyle threw up an arm and turned away from the flash. Monica's platform actually bucked to simulate the hit. She yelled in surprise and grabbed the railing to steady herself.

When the light faded, Kyle turned back to the field, and his gaze landed on her Life Point counter.

0.

He let out a breath he didn't even know had built up within his chest. _Whoa. I beat her. I actually beat her._

Monica silently gathered her cards together and incorporated them back into her deck. Kyle did the same, but he suddenly found he had a very hard time even looking at her. And she was most definitely not looking at him. _She was expecting to win. She wanted Blue-Eyes to come through for her where no other monster did. Not even Hyozanryu, by far her favorite._

A few moments later, the PA system in the cavernous arena activated. _"Congratulations, Mr. McCraine,"_ came the voice of Abigail Madison. _"You will be conducted to the final dueling arena shortly. Ms. Zocallos, congratulations are also in order for you, for making it as far as you have. You will be escorted to a waiting area, where you may view the final duel, if you wish to do so."_

Neither duelist responded to the voice. They didn't need to.

The platforms lowered to the deck a few moments after the last echoes of Madison's voice faded.

The door behind Kyle slid open. For a moment he stood there, not passing through it. He wanted to go to Monica, to at least shake hands and say what a tough opponent she'd been for him, but there was no way to navigate around the dueling arena. The elevated holographic plates spanned the entire room. Really, the only way to even get into the room was to get aboard the elevator platform.

He sighed, then turned and exited the room. He was greeted by another burly guard who inclined his head once to Kyle, and then turned and walked up the hallway. Kyle followed, and found himself getting quite lost in the maze as they took right and left turns that seemed to span the entire ship.

Finally, there was a wide stairway at the end of the last hallway, and the man stopped just at the foot of that stairway, gesturing for Kyle to go on up. He did so, and when he reached the top, he found himself in a room that almost looked like the bridge of the ship. It looked like a hollowed-out control room, right down to the windows that gave an excellent view of the front of the ship – except that there was a red dueling pedestal front and center. This matched the carpeting of the room, which was a royal red.

He frowned and looked out the middle viewport, to see that there was an opposing room of the same size and elevation perhaps twenty yards away. Between the two control booths was a pattern of twenty gigantic holographic field plates in a configuration for a dueling field even larger than the one he'd just been on. It spanned the deck from one side of the ship to the other – and that was a considerable distance. Posted at each corner of the square, there was a huge photon augmentation array. All four appeared to be online and ready to use. Furthermore, the square was lined on either side with huge strobe lights shining in all directions, particularly illuminating the field in the absence of sunlight – that absence being common at 10 p.m.

_That other booth probably has a blue color scheme_, he thought. _This has got to be our dueling arena. Way cool._ He looked around the room he was in, trying to take in all the detail he could. In the ceiling was another speaker for the PA system, which seemed standard issue enough... but his eyes narrowed when he spied the two video cameras hanging from either forward corner. More accurately, he spotted the semi-globular one-way mirrors that protected the cameras from sight, but he had no doubt there were cameras there.

_"Comfortable, Mr. McCraine?"_

He frowned up at the speaker in the ceiling.

_"There are microphones stationed all over your booth, I can hear you quite clearly. Comfortable, Mr. McCraine?"_

He raised an eyebrow. "I suppose. Might I ask who my opponent is, Ms. Madison?"

_"Your opponent is entering the opposing booth now."_

He looked out the viewport and squinted, trying to get a good look at the opponent – a difficult task when two sheets of glass and sixty feet separated them.

But then he spotted a swatch of blue that was moving around in the booth.

And he only knew of one other person present for the tournament who'd been clad in all blue. He frowned. "You? You're the other finalist?"

Madison laughed. _"I'm glad you finally figured it out. So now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, are you ready to duel?"_

His frown deepened. "I don't get it. Why participate in your own tournament?"

_"Why not? I'm as good a duelist as any other who entered... obviously better than most of them... and ten thousand dollars, plus sixty-four rare cards of my choice, are nothing to turn one's nose up at."_ Kyle could just make out Madison gesturing out the window. _"Smile, Mr. McCraine, you're on a series of candid cameras."_

He blinked and looked out the viewports. A pair of helicopters were approaching the ship from either direction, and as he watched, they began to circle above the dueling field.

_"Of course, there was no way you'd be aware of it before now, Mr. McCraine,"_ she said, _"but I've arranged for this final duel of my tournament to be televised on local cable channels, starting at 10:00 this evening, which is just about now. Considering this is Los Angeles, I would imagine several thousand people are tuning in right now to watch us."_

His eyes narrowed. "So you're looking to embarrass the loser even further?"

_"Not embarrass the loser so much as glorify the winner. After all, the winner will have earned it. Your defeat of Ms. Zocallos qualifies you as someone to be watched, Mr. McCraine, as she tends to be a favorite in tournaments. So whether you lose or win, people will know you now."_

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. _So now what? Do I reveal to the public that I have a Labyrinth Brother? That's just what people like Jade are waiting for._

**For the purposes of this battle, I think you should not care what is revealed to the public. You have made it this far... now all that is left to you is to give her a fight to be remembered.**

Kyle thought for a moment, then nodded. _Yeah... you're right. Screw what everyone else wants._ He stepped up to the pedestal and looked across the distance at his new adversary. He took out his deck and calmly placed it on the pedestal's field. "Fine, then. It's time to duel."

-------

And indeed it is! Coming up next, the final duel of the Madison Enterprises tournament! Kyle's ready to put his deck to the ultimate test, but Madison's deck is full of monsters that may be tougher than even Sanga of the Thunder can handle... stay tuned for the thrills of Chapter 36! But while you're waiting... shamelessly begs for reviews Lemme know how you like it! Or hate it! Or hate me! Whatever you want!


	36. Forces of Nature I

_A/N: Allrighty, pay attention, everyone, 'cause you might regret it if you don't! *wink* For a short while, I will be posting a new chapter every 2 days – yes, that's right, every 2 days – instead of every 5. This story has a long way to go yet and I want to give you the opportunity to see where it's going rather than continue to hold you in that aching 5-day suspense. So, enjoy this chapter, and the next one, coming out in just two days!_

_Skraku: Well, not being strangled is certainly nice. Helps me develop chapters faster. And candy makes my fingers move more fleetingly across the keyboard. Must encourage such behavior..._

_Monica: Hmm, perhaps you should cut down on the intake. Not pouring entire cups of it over your cereal, for example. *wink* Worry not, Monica isn't broken. And meanwhile, I'm glad my wit counts for something in helping you with yours._

_Ankhutenshi: I wonder what makes Monica's deck exciting. Perhaps it's because Kyle duels so often, comparatively speaking, but doesn't have the no-nonsense power that riddles hers? Anyway, glad you like it... and yeah, Kyle and Theoris have come a long way as a team. I foresee them doing even better for each other. As for Kyle vs. Madison... well, take a look!_

_Pheonica: *waves to new reviewer* The detailed duels are tough. But I think they're rewarding. Glad you like them!_

_Eusine: Just goes to show, a suspense writer makes all sorts of twists and turns, doesn't he? And I noticed, you were right about the chapter title. Yeah, I was a bit eager. Then again, I'll bet you were eager to see the chapter despite the misspelling. *grin* I've tried to do better on this one._

_Wolfwings: Uh-oh, I'm becoming predictable... we'll just have to see what happens next!_

------- 

"Ladies first," Madison advised, and she drew her first six cards. She inspected her hand a moment, then frowned in slight disappointment at what she'd drawn – nevertheless, she said nothing, because Kyle couldn't see her, much less her hand, and she'd be damned if she was going to hint at her displeasure by saying anything. "Firstly, I play Graceful Charity." 

She drew three cards into her hand, then nodded approvingly. "And I discard Penguin Soldier and my Physical Double trap card. Now I place two magic/trap cards face-down and summon Kabazauls (1700/1500) in attack mode." 

The monster that appeared on the field was gigantic, possessed of a scaly red outer shell. It was reminiscent of a dinosaur. 

"That ends my turn, for now." 

Kyle frowned at the field. _Okay... I don't have too many low-level monsters that can take that monster on, so I'd best play it safe for a while._ He drew his sixth card, then said, "I place two magic/trap cards on the field, as well, and then one monster in defense mode." 

All three cards manifested as holograms about a hundred times larger than life on the field plates below. 

Madison's next draw gave her craggy face cause to split into a wide grin. "I sacrifice Kabazauls," she said, "in order to summon Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500) in attack mode!" 

Her dinosaur disappeared in favor of an upright reptile that seemed to have been outfitted with cybernetic armor and a plethora of menacing futuristic weaponry. Kyle, for his part, tried not to chuckle. _Boy, that name's a mouthful._

"Giga Gagagigo, attack his face-down monster!" 

The creature lumbered across the dueling field and let fly with both metal-clawed hands. They ripped the holographic face-down to shreds – and then the shreds revealed a pair of demon-possessed high heels that screeched indignantly before vanishing. 

"There go my Bite Shoes (500/300)," Kyle commented. "Giga Gagagigo goes to defense mode." 

At this, Madison's brow developed a new crease. "Very well," she said, "my turn is ended." 

Kyle's next card made him smirk. _All right, this is exactly what I need!_ "I play Change of Heart to take control of Giga Gagagigo." 

Kyle couldn't see it, but Madison was now scowling. Her monster again lumbered across the field and took up residence on one of Kyle's monster field plates. 

"Much better," he said. "Now, Giga Gagagigo, attack your former master's Life Points!" 

This time, the huge cyber-enhanced reptilian got a running start, claws swiping as it moved. It struck the base of Madison's control booth, which was where her Life Point counter was located. 

Its strike went unchecked, and within an instant, her Life Points had descended from 4000 to 1550. 

"You sure you're as good as you claim?" Kyle asked, as the monster returned to his field. "I'd have thought you'd have at least a trap like Waboku to stop something like that from happening. If I had even a single low-level monster in my hand with an attack power of at least 1600..." 

"I know very well what would have happened, thank you," she snapped. "Will that be all?" 

"Not quite. Since your monster would otherwise go back to your side of the field at the end of the turn, I'm going to sacrifice it in order to play one monster face-down." 

And with that, Giga Gagagigo vanished from existence, replaced by a new face-down monster card. 

Madison scowled across the field at Kyle. "Are you quite finished now?" 

"Yeah, I'm done, make your move." 

Her next card drew out another scowl – which, fortunately for her, Kyle couldn't see. With her monster's attack on her Life Points, she was becoming annoyed, and the cameras weren't helping matters any by showing her getting defeated so easily. "I place one monster in defense mode," she said, "and end my turn." 

Kyle drew. "I place one monster face-down, as well," he announced, "and then reveal my Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode." 

Once more, his golem of brick rose up from the field plates below – though this time it was larger than it had been in his duel with Monica. 

"Millennium Golem, attack her face-down monster!" 

The golem tread across the field, its step as steady as its composition, and brought its huge fists to bear on the face-down, which then flipped over and revealed a huge snake-like creature – _Giant Red Seasnake (1800/800)_, Kyle thought – that hissed in protest as it was obliterated. 

"End turn." 

Madison's scowl was growing steadily deeper. Some people watching the duel from their homes in Los Angeles couldn't help but wonder if those wrinkles were going to become permanent, alongside the many others already etched there by time. She drew her next card, then promptly said, "I again place one monster in defense mode and end my turn." 

Kyle drew, then just as promptly ordered, "Golem, attack her face-down." 

Again, Golem stepped across the field and punched down into the card. This time its target was a winged, orange reptile. 

"The destruction of my Gale Lizard (1400/700) forces you to return one monster on your field to its owner's hand," Madison responded, "and I choose Millennium Golem." 

"Fair enough," Kyle answered, "but since I haven't played a monster yet this turn, I'll sacrifice my face-down Mystical Elf (800/2000) to place a stronger monster face-down. Back to you." 

Madison drew her next card. "Once more, I shall place one monster in defense mode and end my turn." 

Kyle drew. _That's the standard tactic, to defend even though the opponent has no attacking monsters. I don't have any appropriate monsters to play right now, and I don't want to attack when I've only got one monster to do it with. Too many things can go wrong. I need a backup first._ "I place one magic/trap card face-down and end my turn." 

Madison's next turn was much the same: "Yet another monster face-down, and I end my turn." 

Kyle drew again, this time with better results than the last. "All right. I place one monster face-down, and then reveal my Millennium Golem again." 

Once more, Golem rose up, ready for battle. 

"Golem, you know the drill, attack her face-down!" 

This time, Golem's victim was a large gray bear that growled menacingly – but nevertheless was crushed under the blow. 

"You've destroyed my Mother Grizzly (1400/1000)," said Madison. This time, there was amusement in her voice. "And because of that, I can now special summon one Water-attribute monster directly from my deck... provided, of course, this monster has an attack power of 1500 or less and is played in attack mode." 

Kyle frowned slightly. _Putting it in attack mode won't help her any..._

_**It will, however, put another monster on her field to make sufficient tribute fodder. And if that monster has a special effect, as well, who knows what advantage she might suddenly gain?**_

_We're about to find out._

"Cure Mermaid (1500/800)!" Madison declared. On the field, there appeared a blonde mermaid, strikingly beautiful and flapping its red tail about. "As long as this monster remains face-up on my field, I gain a bonus of 800 Life Points for every one of my turns. This should be a tremendous help." 

"Only for as long as it's there," Kyle responded. "And it's a real shame I can't attack again. End turn." 

Madison ignored Kyle's comments and drew her next card. Her Life Points obligingly rose to 2350. "Fortunately for me," she said, "Cure Mermaid will still be here for a while. I play Tribe-Infecting Virus (1600/1000) in attack mode!" 

The holographic card appeared on the field face-up, but no monster was to be found. Kyle frowned. "I can't see anything." 

"You're not supposed to. The virus is airborne, and can prove extremely hazardous, should I choose it to be," she tittered. "Its special effect allows me to destroy any one type of monster on both sides of the field for the paltry price of one card from my hand. So I'll dismiss my Spell Absorbing Life trap card in order to infect all face-up Rock-type monsters on the field with my virus." 

As soon as she discarded her trap, Millennium Golem began to crumble and topple. Kyle frowned as it fell forward and shattered in a pile of brick and mortar. 

"Now, let's see what else my virus can do," she said. "Tribe-Infecting Virus, attack his face-down monster!" 

This time, a visible cloud of indigo floated up from the card and wafted toward Kyle's face-down. It flipped over and revealed a green-skinned, red-eyed monster with yellow runes all over its body. It grimaced at the attack, but held its ground. 

"My Kotodama (0/1600) survives your attack," Kyle announced. 

"How annoying. But I don't much feel like discarding anything else, as much of a nuisance as that fairy down there may be. End turn." 

_It's only a nuisance because it's blocking your path to my Life Points_. Kyle drew his next card. _Well. This should do. Better clear my hand out as much as possible, though._ "I place two magic/trap cards face-down and a monster in defense mode. Back to you." 

Madison frowned. "You, sir, appear to have filled your magic/trap field." 

"I have, indeed," Kyle conceded. "Scared yet?" 

At that, Madison's frown turned into a scowl. "Pipe down, whippersnapper," she proclaimed, drawing. Her Cure Mermaid afforded her another 800 Life Points, to bring her total to 3150. "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your central magic/trap card." 

Kyle laughed out loud. "Well, in that case, I'll activate that face-down card, which just happens to be a Mystical Space Typhoon of my own – a legal move since it's quick-play. And I'll use it to destroy your remaining magic/trap before your Typhoon can destroy mine." 

The play manifested as both Mystical Space Typhoons flipping upright on the field at once, each of them sending a thunderbolt in its intended target's direction. Dual explosions lit up the playing field, illuminating the deck of the boat. 

Madison held a growl at bay, though it ran as an undercurrent to her tone as she said, "My Germ Infection equipment card is destroyed. How _very_ unsatisfactory." 

"Only for some of us," Kyle responded. 

She glared. "Virus, attack his face-down monster!" 

Another indigo cloud swept up from the attack-position card on Madison's field, but just as it was about to strike Kyle's face-down, a triplet of blue-robed spellcasters appeared in front of the cloud to block it as Kyle announced, "Activate Waboku, to reduce all battle damage my monsters take to zero. But you've revealed my monster, nonetheless." 

The monster in question appeared on the field in a deep brown pot; all that could be seen of it was a single, glowing red eye and a devilish grin. 

"My Morphing Jar (700/600) sure comes in handy when I'm needing some new cards," Kyle commented, "and not needing old ones. So discard your hand and draw five. All I'm losing is my Judge Man." 

"And I, my Last Turn trap card," she responded, drawing her next five cards as she spoke. Her new cards apparently needed some mulling over, though, because just shortly after, she said, "End turn." 

He drew his next card, then smirked. "Now we're getting somewhere. I play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode." 

The spindly-limbed machine took to the field quickly, and by the way it was waving its limbs, it looked eager to battle. 

"Mechanicalchaser, attack Cure Mermaid!" 

The machine whose center was a golden orb bolted across the field and stabbed down into Cure Mermaid, who screeched briefly before shattering. Madison's Life Point counter scrolled down again, this time to 2800. 

The counter's owner, by this point, had a face looking so cavernous with disapproval that it could rival the Grand Canyon for places to explore. "Is that quite all?" 

"Yeah, go ahead." 

She drew her next card. "You'll learn to respect your elders," she vowed, "and I'm just the person to teach you those well-needed manners. I place one magic/trap face-down and then call into play the magic of the field card A Legendary Ocean!" 

At first, one might have been fooled into thinking that the ship was being overrun by the waters it sailed, but this was not truly the case; the holographic field plates simply had a projection of a blustering seaway atop them, the Duel Monsters cards hovering perilously close to the surface. 

"This field card increases the attack and defense factors of all Water-attribute monsters on the field by 200 points," she informed him. "Not only that, but it also downgrades all Water-attribute monsters on the field _and_ in our hands by one level... making certain monsters that much easier to summon. But it's so much better to show you, and I intend to do just that. So I sacrifice my Tribe-Infecting Virus in order to play Levia-Dragon - Daedalus (2600/1500) in attack mode!" 

The holographic Virus card suddenly shone a bright white for a moment, and when the light faded, the card had been replaced by another – and this time there was a monster to match. It was a huge monster, at that, a blue-skinned sea snake that could have easily wrapped around the entire field at least once. Atop its head glinted a series of jewel-like structures, emerald and ruby, all incredibly beautiful. 

The beauty stopped at its face, however, which was full of razor-sharp teeth ready to tear anything and everything to shreds. 

Kyle narrowed his eyes at it. _A nice bonus of 200 attack and defense doesn't hurt it, either._ He could make out the oversized holo-card and he inspected its level. _Level 7. Normally she'd need to sacrifice two monsters for that thing, but with her field card, she only needed one. Great... how do I compete with that? The only high-level aquatic monster I have is Amphibian Beast, and that would need a sacrifice even after her field card._

**_It would appear that Sanga of the Thunder is going to become a priority in summoning in this battle, should you hope for victory._**

_But first I need to get the card and I need to keep two monsters on the field to summon it._

Madison wasn't finished. "Next, I flip my face-down monster to attack mode," she announced, and a moment later, the holo-field responded to her manipulations of the board by doing just that. It revealed a small submarine bearing a large ballast tube on either side. 

"This is my Amphibious Bugroth Mark-3 (1500/1300). Like my dragon, it's also a Water-attribute monster, and it gains the 200 attack and defense points added by my field card. And now comes the fun part." 

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "There's a fun part to all this?" 

"Oh, of course. I couldn't just bring out normal monsters, Mr. McCraine. Surely you realize from the coloration of the holographic cards on the field, these are both effect monsters." 

"So how do their effects apply here?" 

"Not just yet. First, Levia-Dragon, destroy his Mechanicalchaser!" 

Madison's Levia-Dragon dived underwater and snaked forward, rising up only to strike its foe. It put its powerful jaws to use in rending Mechanicalchaser to scrap metal. 

Kyle's Life Points dropped from their previously unharmed 4000 to a more battle-scarred 3050. 

"And now, Amphibious Bugroth, attack his Life Points directly!" 

_What?!_

With that order, the aquatic machine likewise dove underwater and bolted straight for Kyle's Life Point counter. Much to his horror, neither of his monsters moved to intercept the attack, and when the attack hit, he could almost feel it – though within the control booth, he actually couldn't feel anything from the holograms outside. 

His Life Points had dropped to 1350. 

He stared across the field. "Was that even legal? I still have two monsters on the field!" 

"That direct attack was thanks to Bugroth's effect, which allows it to attack my opponent's Life Points as long as either the field card Umi or A Legendary Ocean is in play," Madison clarified. "And that's the only reason I didn't use my Levia-Dragon's effect before its attack." 

"Well, don't keep Levia-Dragon's effect to yourself, then," Kyle snorted. "Do tell me about it." 

"Gladly. By its effect, I can send my own Umi or A Legendary Ocean to the graveyard, and when I do, all cards on the field go to the grave along with it – except for Levia-Dragon. And that's exactly what I intend to do next turn, so make this next turn a good one. I hereby end my turn." 

Kyle drew his next card, suddenly desperate for something he could use. _She could attack me with her Bugroth next turn and I'd be toast, but by her Levia-Dragon's effect, I'd have no chance at all!_

But upon sight of his next card, he let out a breath of relief. _Phew. Awesome. Good deck, very good deck. Treat for you later._ "This should kill two birds with one stone. I play my other Mystical Space Typhoon to take out your Legendary Ocean card." 

A single blast of lightning from the holographic representation of Kyle's card, and the waters on the dueling field immediately began to recede and ultimately fade away. Kyle grinned. "You can't use Levia-Dragon's effect to blow away my monsters and your Bugroth can't attack me directly. Plus they both lose their attack bonuses. That works out nicely." 

"I'm so glad you approve," Madison scowled. "Impudent child." 

"One of the worst," Kyle agreed. "Now I play one monster face-down. If you want to attack me directly, you're going to have to earn it." _I just hope she doesn't have another field card like that last one readily available..._

Madison scowled at the next card she drew, displeased that she wasn't getting another field card. "Very well," she ground out. "Then I summon the Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness (1800/1500) in attack mode!" 

The monster that appeared on her field didn't look much like a sea serpent and more like a humanoid, but it wore scaled armor that reminded Kyle somewhat of a seahorse. 

"He may not get the power boost of my Ocean card, but he's still strong enough to take _you_ on, I daresay," said Madison. "Warrior, destroy his Kotodama!" 

The armor-clad undersea warrior took up his staff, then jumped across the distance and brought its weapon to bear on Kotodama. Kotodama let out an indignant screech as it was attacked; it vanished under the blow. 

"Bugroth, attack Morphing Jar!" 

Bugroth performed its torpedo-like attack once more, this time without the benefit of water – but that made it no less devastating for Morphing Jar, and it emitted a maniacal laugh before also vanishing in the impact. 

"Now, with that out of the way... Levia-Dragon, attack his face-down monster!" 

Levia-Dragon's wrath was swift: it shot forward and speared through the remaining monster card on Kyle's field. But as the card was destroyed, its pictured monster was revealed – a small creature that seemed to be composed of a deformed face and two hands carrying a scythe. 

"Attacking my Hane-Hane (450/500)? Shame on you," Kyle admonished. "Now I get to send one monster on the field back to its owner's hand, and for that... make yourself more acquainted with Levia-Dragon's picture." 

A low growl rumbled at the base of Madison's throat as she returned Levia-Dragon to her hand. "End turn." 

_Hmph. If I have anything to say about it, she's not going to bring that menace back to the field._ Kyle drew. _This'll work._ "I place one monster face-down, and follow up with a magic/trap face-down, as well. Your turn." 

Madison drew. "Don't expect your defenses to hold out for long. I play 7-Colored Fish (1800/800) in attack mode!" 

A brightly-colored fish appeared on the field, all scales and fins and razor-sharp teeth – that is, until it vanished into a spontaneous abyss below it. "Activate Trap Hole," Kyle said, slightly belatedly. 

Madison harrumphed. "Fine, then. Warrior, attack his face-down!" 

But as the warrior brought his staff to bear on Kyle's monster, he was repelled... by a wall of flesh and bone. 

Kyle smirked. "Attacking my Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) automatically sends its attacker back to the owner's hand. If I can't destroy the monsters you bring out, I'm going to at least make sure you have a damned tough time keeping them on your field." 

Madison ground her teeth and pulled her Sea Serpent Warrior back into her hand as her Life Points dropped to 2750. "My turn's finished, make your move." 

Kyle drew his next card. "You know," he said conversationally, "you're fighting awfully hard for someone who, by all rights, should already have everything she wants." 

"I _would_ have everything I want, were we not wasting our resources on silly games," Madison retorted. 

"What, you mean your company?" 

"Yes, you thick-headed primate, my company!" 

Kyle raised an eyebrow, but otherwise ignored the insult. "If the games are so silly, why are you playing one with me?" 

"It's the simplest medium to get what I want at relatively little personal expense." 

"And what is it you want? Surely the money's not a factor." 

"Indeed. I want the cream of the rare card crop, and that's precisely what I'm going to get once I defeat you in this duel. And after that, I can see to putting the company back on track." 

"How do you intend to do that, just by winning this tournament?" 

"By taking the fight to Seto Kaiba and dueling _him_. With the rare cards in that lottery at my disposal, I can't lose. And I'm doing well enough without them against you; it's only a matter of time before you fall." 

He chuckled. "At this point, madam, you're all talk. I place another monster face-down, along with one magic/trap, and it's your turn once again." 

"All talk, am I? We'll see. I still have several excellent cards at my disposal; you simply have not had the privilege of being defeated by them yet." She drew her next card. "Case in point: I play Gagagigo (1850/1000) in attack mode." 

This Gagagigo, unlike its larger counterpart, was not outfitted with any cybernetic enhancements, which probably explained its size. Nevertheless, it still looked like a formidable foe; it was tall and well-muscled, fists clenched, obviously ready for battle. 

"Gagagigo, attack his face-down monster!" 

The upright reptilian ran forward, fists ready to deliver their powerful blows to the victim monster, but about halfway through the transit, the card flipped over and revealed a dark-skinned woman wearing black robes – and she had a third, cat-like eye in the center of her forehead. 

"You're attacking my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)," Kyle advised, "but I feel like keeping her around a while, so I'm activating The Reliable Guardian, to boost her defense by 700 points." 

At that, a massive silver shield appeared in front of Witch. Gagagigo's punch bounced harmlessly off it, and the monster recoiled, then retreated while its owner took another 50 points of LP damage. 

"Hrm. Very well, I shall end my turn there." 

Kyle drew his next card and inspected it. _Great. I can start making my comeback._ "I sacrifice my Witch of the Black Forest in order to play Firewing Pegasus (2250/1800) in attack mode," he announced, and as his monster appeared on the field in all its flaming glory, he retrieved an appropriate monster from his deck per Witch's effect and shuffled. Then he looked back up at the field. _Bugroth's still in attack mode... I should go for that one to deal the most damage. _"Firewing Pegasus, attack Amphibious Bugroth!" 

But as the streak of flame from Pegasus' mouth boiled across the field, it was Madison's turn to smirk. "I'm afraid you're far too aggressively eager, young one, a common problem among today's youth. You must be patient. Activate Mirror Force!" 

Madison's trap card flipped up and moved in the way of the blast, which was reflected right back at Pegasus. Its own flames engulfed it, and when the play was over, the monster was gone. 

_Damn. Good thing Wall's still in defense mode, else it'd have gone, too._ "Fine, I still got something good out of the deal. My turn's finished." 

"Something good? One extra monster in your hand with a low defense power, in the face of all my attackers? I would hardly call that a good thing, boy," she snickered, "but to each his own, I do suppose." She drew her next card, then announced, "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then play Star Boy (550/500) in attack mode!" 

A reddish starfish with a demon-like face appeared between her Bugroth and Gagagigo. 

Kyle frowned. _Ouch. Normally that thing by itself wouldn't be a threat, but since it powers up all Water-attribute monsters' attack power by 500, that means Bugroth and Gagagigo are both strong enough to destroy Wall of Illusion now._

"Gagagigo, destroy his Wall of Illusion!" 

Kyle reached out to his m/t field. "Not quite yet, Madison," he replied. "I activate Castle Walls, to increase Wall of Illusion's defense by 500. Just enough to block Gagagigo, and certainly enough to block the other two." 

A quadruplet of castle turrets formed around Wall of Illusion, and between each turret a protective wall built into existence to protect Kyle's monster. Gagagigo's attack still pummeled through the castle walls, but Wall of Illusion stopped it in its tracks, and Gagagigo vanished from the field as a result. 

Madison was _not_ pleased. "End turn," she snarled. 

Kyle, for his part, merely chuckled as he drew. _The old sadism may not have helped in previous circumstances, but it works wonders here. She thought she could get me flustered in front of a bunch of TV cameras, and instead I'm giving her a boot in the rear both in attack and defense!_ "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn," he announced. _And hope she's dumb enough to start sacrificing monsters..._

"Hm." Madison drew her next card... and at this one, she laughed out loud. "You've fought well. But it all ends here. I flip my face-down Turtle Oath!" 

On the field, there appeared a gigantic greenish egg in one of the m/t spaces. Kyle's brow furrowed. _Ritual magic card. There are the easy ones and the hard ones... though the hard ones are more defunct these days because most of their products have now become normal monsters..._

"In order to fulfill its conditions, I have to sacrifice monsters from my field or hand that total at least 8 level stars," she said, "and I have two monsters that make the cut – Island Turtle and Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness, each level 4." 

The images of her Island Turtle and Warrior appeared only momentarily, as if ghosts, and then vanished. As soon as they'd disappeared, the huge egg in the back row began to crack – the creature inside was hatching. 

"And now that I've fulfilled the conditions of the ritual card," she continued, "I present to you the Crab Turtle (2550/2500) in attack mode!" 

The monster that climbed out of the egg looked exactly as its name described – it was an amalgam of a crab and a turtle, both creatures merged together to form a hideous creature whose head was a single eyestalk. It stood on a pair of powerful shelled hind legs, and its arms bore a pair of vicious pincers. Its reddish exoskeleton was augmented by a dark shell on its back, and its single yellow eye stared dispassionately at Kyle's side of the field, where Wall of Illusion was his only defender. 

"And I'll go even further than that," Madison continued. "Since that was a special summon, I can still summon another monster the conventional way this turn. And so I sacrifice Star Boy and Amphibious Bugroth Mark-3 in order to play Suijin (2500/2400) in attack mode!" 

Kyle's eyes widened in shock. _Suijin?! She has a Labyrinth Brother?!_

**_Apparently, Kyle, she does._**

------- 

_And now the pressure's on! Next up: while Madison continues to pummel Kyle's monsters and Life Points with her high-powered monsters and an unstoppable Labyrinth Brother of her own, Kyle races to mount a successful defense. Will Kyle turn the impossible odds around and take home the gold, or will he fall to a more experienced duelist and her superior deck and come away with silver instead? Stick around and find out in the explosive conclusion of the Madison Enterprises tournament!_


	37. Forces of Nature II

_A/N: Allrighty, the chapter I'm sure everyone's been waiting for... the conclusion of Kyle's duel with Abigail Madison! What's going to happen? Who knows? I do. Read on and you will, too!_

_Mira: Ha! That's good, Madison's supposed to be a freaky character. Though as old as she is, I wonder if she wouldn't have been suited with a Zombie deck. No, probably not. And nope, two days per chapter is the absolute fastest I'll be doing this; it'll go back to five after a while. And the card effects? I'm confused why they would bug you. These are real cards with real effects, and the duels were even played all the way out; the duels I write are totally real. They just happen to have serendipity at certain points. That's the way it happens. Sorry if it bugs you, but it's all genuine._

_Wolf: I suppose Orca Mega would be appropriate for this duel, but considering Kyle's ability to turn a duel around, Madison trying to put the supplementary fish on the field might not be such a good idea. Nevertheless, you'll see what happens soon enough._

_Skraku: Oy, this'll work for my creative juices! If my arteries don't harden first..._

_Pheonica: Goes with the territory of aspirations to be a writer. I have to stay busy. Plus my finals are about halfway over, and I'm gonna do well on the remaining ones meantime. No worries!_

_Eusine: Looks like you're late on the hyperness warning... but I won't push it. It's only temporary, yes yes yes yes yes, only temporary-ary-ary..._

------- 

The monster that rose up from the remains of its tributes looked as if it had been forged from the water itself. It stretched up out of the face of its holographic card, flowing up as fluidly as the element it was reputed to guard. It was almost snake-like, except that now it was free of the card, it expanded outward until it was attached to the entire face. A pair of clawed hands extended from the "front" of the snake-like column of water, and then a face followed soon after. In its qualities, it wasn't unlike Levia-Dragon: it bore razor-sharp teeth and an elongated snout which only served to accentuate the teeth. It growled menacingly. 

Madison was now laughing appreciatively. "Mr. McCraine, you may be a decent duelist... I'll admit that... but there's no way now that you could match the power of my Suijin. You couldn't even comprehend it!" 

Kyle couldn't help but laugh aloud at that declaration. 

Her laughing, by contrast, vanished, and she narrowed her eyes at him, her giddiness gone. "What are you laughing at, you little whelp?" 

"You!" Kyle exclaimed. "You think I don't know the power of a Labyrinth Brother! That's laughable! You're the one who has no comprehension, Madison... you don't have a single clue." 

Her eyes narrowed further. "Oh, don't I?" 

"Not at all," he asserted. "Shows you don't know my deck half as well as you seem to think you do." 

"What, did you think I wasn't aware you have Sanga of the Thunder?" Madison snorted. "Please, Mr. McCraine. I may not know all of your deck's cards, but I do know that much, at the very least." 

"You still don't have a clue." 

"Well, then, I'm in good company," she answered. "Crab Turtle, attack his Wall of Illusion!" 

_Why would she go to all the trouble of summoning Crab Turtle, just to have it sent back to her hand?_ Kyle wondered, even as his Wall was finally destroyed under Crab Turtle's barrage of heavy blows. 

**_She still has Suijin on her field even after Crab Turtle returns to her hand. No doubt she intends to attack your Life Points._**

_She won't even get close._

Madison collected Crab Turtle back to her hand upon completion of Wall of Illusion's destruction, looking quite pleased with herself. "Now you'll know the true power of a Labyrinth Brother," she said. "Suijin, attack his Life Points directly!" 

"Activate Widespread Ruin!" 

Suijin's attack was impressive, to say the least; it was conjuring a tidal wave from the depths of its own fluid body and apparently was intending to send that wave hurtling towards Kyle. However, the attack was aborted quite suddenly by the activation of Kyle's trap card, which send a huge mushroom of fire billowing toward Suijin. 

The monster and its tidal wave were evaporated in the onrush of flame. 

Kyle imagined the look on Madison's face to be priceless -- and indeed, several thousand people in Los Angeles were finding it to be just that. Some of them had been recording it the entire time, eager to see what tactics the tourney finalists were wont to use... now they were seeing Madison's shock and rage that her monster had been so easily defeated. 

She finally shook her head slowly. "Not like that," she uttered. "No. I won't let it all end like that. Not so easily as that." 

"For the moment, unless you have a revival card, you're going to have to," Kyle responded. "If you're going to have a Labyrinth Brother, the least you can do is afford it protection long enough for you to actually make it useful. Until I try to attack it, it's just another normal monster." 

"What would _you_ know about Labyrinth Brothers?" she snapped. "It's not like _you_ appreciate the power a Labyrinth Brother has--" 

"That's where you're wrong," Kyle calmly stated. "Because I know fully well the powers of the Labyrinth Brothers. And I know their limits, too. They're strong, but they're not all-powerful, and most definitely not immune to destruction by trap cards. In the meantime, it's still your turn, so do you intend to do anything else for it?" 

She finally regained enough of her composure to scowl gamely out the window. "Yes, come to think of it. I'll place one magic/trap face-down, and then end my turn." 

_Probably bluffing. She'd have put it down earlier._

_**She may not be. It might be a protective measure that she felt no use for before. After all, she was on the offensive.**_

_Well, I guess we'll see._ Kyle drew his next card. "I play Crass Clown (1350/1400) in attack mode," he announced. 

On the field, his chunky, scythe-bearing Duel Monster shimmered into being and laughed in sadistic joy. 

"Crass Clown, attack her Life Points!" 

With a mighty toss, Crass Clown let its scythe fly directly for her LP counter. The blade struck the counter dead center and cut her Life Points in half, taking the count down to 1350. The scythe then flew back to the hand of its master, who waited patiently for its next opportunity. 

_One more direct attack like that one and I'll win!_

**_You are aware she still has Gagagigo in her hand, and that its attack power is higher than that of Crass Clown?_**

**__**Fully aware. But she's got to be worried by now. And I have a backup plan. He surveyed the field in front of him and smirked. "Your move." 

"That it is." She drew her next card -- and began giggling in delight. "Well, Mr. McCraine, it seems that a Labyrinth Brother won't be done away with so easily, after all. I play Monster Reborn to bring Suijin back from the grave, in attack mode!" 

Once again, Suijin shot up from its card face and took residence atop it, growling all the while. Kyle vaguely wondered if it was indignant that it has been so quickly destroyed before even getting an attack in. 

"And now I replay Gagagigo (1850/1000) in attack mode!" 

Also in a repeat performance, the bipedal reptilian appeared on the field, ready to fight. 

"Hey, Madison!" 

She glared up at Kyle from across the field, rather annoyed that he hadn't addressed her in such proper fashion as "Ms. Madison", which she much preferred. "What do you want, you little whelp?" 

"To win, of course," Kyle sneered. 

"Unless you begin to do so, which I highly doubt, you will treat me with the respect I deserve, or you will not speak to me at all. Do I make myself clear?" 

Kyle ignored the demand. "On this field, we're both equals." 

At this, her beady eyes narrowed. "You, young child, will never be my equal, on this field or any other." 

"Then prove it and win the duel. And if you hear me out, you might just end up winning something more." 

She raised an eyebrow. "If you have something to say, boy, spit it out and be done with it." 

"Just a simple business proposal. Interested?" 

"Only if you stop wasting my time." 

_Time_, Kyle thought, _is not so rare a commodity for me as it is for you, you old hag._

**_I am most appreciative of your self-restraint, Kyle, for if you had said that out loud, you surely would have been disqualified here and now._**

_Thanks... I think._ "All right, then, here it is." Kyle pointed at Suijin, who was still glaring and displaying its huge razor-sharp teeth most prominently. "I propose we up the ante. If you wager that card, I'll wager my Sanga of the Thunder." 

She scoffed loudly. "You can't possibly be serious, my boy." 

"You keep proving yourself ignorant." Kyle shook his head in disappointment. "What a great shame." 

She blinked, and then frowned. Were they closer, she'd have perused his gaze to see if he was truly serious. "You're being awfully foolish." 

"Possibly. Now... are you interested, or shall we drop it here and now? Because either way, you're going to see Sanga of the Thunder in this duel. And it will be one hell of a showdown." 

"You're all talk," she sniffed. "Gagagigo, destroy his Crass Clown!" 

With that order, Gagagigo raced across the field and slugged Crass Clown -- hard. It cried out and fell back, then toppled and shattered like a porcelain vase hitting concrete. The holographic shards dissipated but a moment later. 

Kyle's Life Points, meantime, had dropped down to 850. 

And he was still smirking. "I guess you weren't listening before. Perhaps it has something to do with getting older, you become harder of hearing -- whatever the reason, I'm going to say it again. I'm willing to wager my Sanga of the Thunder on the chance that I win this duel if you're willing to wager Suijin on the chance that I lose." 

A frown creased her already craggy features. "This proposal is one of the most preposterous I have ever heard. You have only two magic/traps on your field, which I am quite sure are desperate bluffs, since they were apparently incapable of stopping me from attacking and destroying your monster. Meanwhile, you have absolutely no monsters whatsoever to protect you." 

"Oh, I know precisely what I have and don't have," Kyle responded. "So think about it. Your Life Points are higher than mine, you've got a Labyrinth Brother on your field, and even if I did bring out Sanga, you could bring out A Legendary Ocean and Suijin would be more powerful." 

"This is ridiculous." 

"Is it?" Kyle's smirk widened. "Are you afraid?" 

Her jaw set at that one. "What... did... you... say?" 

"I said, 'Are you afraid?' It's quite a simple question, really. Look at all your advantages! Higher LP, better monsters... what have you got to lose by accepting?" 

"You have something up your sleeve, boy." 

"And what if I do? Does it look like I'm in a position to stop you this turn?" 

"Appearances can be deceiving." 

"But the offer is genuine. If _you_ win, I'll hand over my Sanga of the Thunder to you... but if _I_ win, you hand over Suijin to me." 

She stroked her chin. "A tempting offer... a tempting offer indeed. But it sounds to me like you are attempting to lure me into a trap. Either that, or you are the most reckless and desperate duelist I have ever met." 

"So that means we have a deal, right?" Kyle turned to either side and gestured to the mounted cameras. "Take a look, Madison. You've got all this delicately set up so that you'll look like a ruthless businesswoman and I'll look like a doddering fool. But instead the doddering fool has stayed calm, manipulated this duel like any professional would, and he's issued you a challenge. You gonna back down? And in front of your superiors? Somehow I doubt Kaiba isn't going to see this; likewise with your CEO." 

She flushed slightly. "My superiors' interests are none of your affair." 

"Nope, you're right," Kyle agreed. "Just dueling you, and making a proposal or two along the way. But if that doesn't satisfy you, I've got something even more substantial in mind." 

"I am already having enough difficulty as it is--" 

"What I have in mind," Kyle interrupted, "is that the loser of this duel forfeits the Semi-Finalist earnings to the winner. In effect, the winner gets fifteen grand and three-fourths of the lottery you forced us to put cards in... the loser walks away with nil, and the shame of being humiliated on public television." 

Her glare was becoming more pronounced by the second. "You, child, are a brainless idiot." 

His words were grim and sure. "No, just incredibly daring. And you should probably take a couple lessons from me in that, too, because in my experience, you don't get ahead in the corporate world by being careful about how you conduct business. You have to be reckless once in a while, I would imagine. This is one of those times. Double or nothing, Madison. What's it going to be?" 

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "I'll tell you what it's going to be. Suijin, attack his Life Points directly!" 

Kyle's smirk didn't vanish. "Not quite, but nice try. Activate Ultimate Offering!" 

Kyle's trap manifested itself as a goblin on his m/t row, grinning maniacally -- the grin almost daring Madison to continue her attack. 

A burst of red sprayed from its right ear and congealed into a pool of dark fluid -- it took Madison a moment to register the substance as holographic blood -- and formed a face-down monster card on Kyle's field. 

"I've sacrificed 500 of my remaining Life Points," Kyle stated, "in order to play one monster face-down. And now, because the number of monsters on my field has changed, Suijin's attack has been halted. If you want, you can call the attack again." 

Madison raised an eyebrow. "And I assume you've retracted your offer by now." 

"My offer still stands," said Kyle. 

"Oh, does it? Even after I activate my face-down Meteorain trap card?" she asked, in a falsely sweet voice. "I'm sure you know what it does, as you've already made it so far in this tournament." 

"Of course," he answered blithely. "It lasts one turn, and if the defense of my monster is less than Suijin's attack power, the difference in damage is inflicted on my Life Points." 

"Indeed," she replied. "And by this point, I doubt there's a single low-level monster in your deck that has a defense power that could even begin to stand up to Suijin's attacks. So..." She leered. "Does your offer still stand, even now?" 

"It does," he responded. "Winner take all. That's the challenge." 

Her mind shouted at her. _He's got nothing! Accept, then blow him away!_

She saw him leaning up against the glass of his control booth's window. 

And across the distance... she saw his wink. 

Oh, that was the bottom line. He could call her "Madison", he could taunt her all he liked verbally... 

But he was _not_ going to _wink_ at her like some _call-girl_. 

"Then I accept!" she shouted. "But it doesn't matter, because Suijin will destroy you! 350 Life Points are nothing, and so are you! Suijin, attack his monster _now!_" 

Suijin's tidal wave built up once more, and this time it crashed unchecked across the dueling field, washing over Kyle's field entirely... 

She looked out the window, her eyes suddenly desperate to look at his Life Point counter-- 

And that counter was holding at 350. 

Her eyes widened. "How...?" 

And over the intercom, Madison could hear Kyle's laugh. 

The answer poked an eyestalk out of the water and looked around in curiosity for a moment... then snaked underneath what was left of the wave and rose up in front of Suijin. The worm-like creature squealed at it, then wrapped its long body around Suijin's form and pierced its shapeless border with its opposite end, staring at the water guardian all the while with its single eye. 

"You attacked my Kiseitai (300/800)," Kyle chuckled. "And when it's attacked, it equips itself to its attacker, then gives me Life Points equal to half the equipped monster's attack power for every one of your turns it stays there." 

"A parasite!" Madison spluttered. "But why don't your Life Points show any damage?" 

"When Kiseitai's attacked, damage calculations are canceled." He grinned. "C'mon, you didn't expect me to just sit here and take a beating, did you?" 

She growled. "You'll still take a beating when I'm through with you!" 

"Not likely. Your Battle Phase is over and Meteorain's effect isn't in operation anymore." 

Madison gnashed her teeth in frustration. "End turn, then, but don't expect to survive next turn." 

"We'll see whether I survive," Kyle muttered, as he drew his next card. Nevertheless, he knew she was right. _This next card is either going to help me win or usher me to a loss..._

Sight of it gave him pause. _Or not... maybe it'll be the next three, instead. Here goes..._

"I play Graceful Charity," he announced. _C'mon, give me some luck..._

And, amazingly, his deck did just that. 

_Whoa. This could do it. This could very well do it._

He looked back up to the field and grinned. "Ready or not, here I come." 

"You haven't discarded two cards yet," Madison sniffed. 

"True, I haven't. But I'll bet you'll like what I end up getting rid of. I'm discarding Mad Sword Beast and Sanga of the Thunder." 

Madison pursed her lips. "How is it possible, anyway, that you have a Labyrinth Brother in the first place?" 

"By the graceful charity of a friend of mine," Kyle answered, grinning widely. "But that's not all. If there's one thing I've learned about Labyrinth Brothers, it's that they won't be discarded so easily... so I play Monster Reborn to revive Sanga of the Thunder (2600/2200) in attack mode!" 

And with that, Sanga appeared on the field in all its resplendent static glory, yellow currents running all over its red-and-gold body. 

In thousands of L.A. homes, collective gasps could be heard. Whatever those families had been expecting (and most of them had expected a futile attempt to defend his Life Points with yet another face-down monster), this was most definitely not on that list. 

Kyle, for his part, simply smiled in pride. _All right. Now I can really go for the gusto._ "In addition, I play one monster face-down," he said. "And now... Sanga, attack Gagagigo!" 

Sanga's orb of thunder appeared between its hands and loosed a golden bolt upon the murderous reptilian. It roared defiantly, but was scorched all the same, and it vanished under the attack. 

Madison's Life Points plummeted to 600. 

"And that ends my turn," said Kyle. "What was that you were saying about surviving to next turn?" 

"We'll see who survives," Madison snarled, drawing. 

"I dunno, it just occurs to me that I'm getting better at it, what with the Life Point gain I'm getting from Kiseitai." 

Madison's frantic eyes scanned his LP counter and saw it shoot up from its measly 350 to a much higher 1600. She snarled again, this time incoherently, and then said, "I play Heavy Storm to rid the field of all magic/traps... including that disgusting little worm!" 

Kyle chuckled to himself as he discarded Ultimate Offering, Kiseitai, and his yet-unused (and at this point useless) Reverse Trap. On the holographic field, the view was much more spectacular; the photon arrays emitted bursts of lightning that crackled across his entire m/t field, and each m/t touched exploded violently. 

"Now, Suijin, destroy his face-down monster!" 

Suijin's tidal wave was easily avoided by Sanga, especially since Sanga wasn't the intended target. The face-down wasn't so lucky, and the dark waters overcame it easily. At the last instant, the monster card flipped over and revealed a minuscule spellcaster cowering under the tsunami. 

"Looks like you've destroyed my Magician of Faith (300/400)," Kyle noted. "So now I get to collect one magic card from my graveyard." 

Madison's lip curled. "End turn." 

Kyle drew his next card, but didn't pay much attention to it. _The time is now. This duel's over._

"I play Change of Heart," he announced, "to take control of Suijin!" 

Her eyes widened. _"No!"_ she shouted. 

But there was nothing she could do. The Change of Heart card was represented on the field in the form of an attractive female whose left side was angelic, while the right side was demonic. It flapped its mismatched wings and flew straight into Suijin, phasing into it -- and the aquatic Labyrinth Brother snaked obediently to Kyle's side of the field. 

"It's times like this," Kyle advised, "when it's safe to say the duel's finished. And this duel is most definitely finished. Sanga, attack her Life Points directly!" 

Sanga flung its lightning orb at Madison's control booth... where it crashed unhindered. 

And when Kyle -- and the audience in Los Angeles -- was able to see her Life Point counter, he simply stood there for a moment, not quite sure he believed what he was seeing. 

It read 0. 

_It's over. ... I won. ... I actually won._

He slumped over his pedestal and let out a heavy sigh. "I won," he muttered. "I won..." 

"Kyle?" 

He perked slightly and looked under his right arm, too exhausted now to even expend the energy of turning around. 

Monica was climbing up the steps into the booth. And this time, instead of confusion, mistrust, or displeasure, she had a smile on her face. 

Kyle let out a small scoff and turned back to his close-up view of the pedestal's card reader plates. "How's that? I actually won a Duel Monsters tournament... all on my own. Bet you never expected that, huh?" 

She touched his back, then leaned down and looked into his eyes, her brow rising as if to emphasize her next words. 

"I'm proud of you," she said simply. 

He responded to that with a smile of his own. "Thanks," he said, just as simply. 

Her smile widened. "C'mon. Let's go home." 

------- 

_The dueling may be over, but Kyle's still got a few things to work out... and maybe he can improve on a relationship through some of the prizes he earns. Stay tuned and find out what happens, in two days!_


	38. To the Victor

_A/N: So, with the conclusion of the dueling in the Madison tourney, all that's left is to figure out the prizes that await our heroes. What will they get? And how will they affect the relationship of a certain two? Well, read ahead and find out._

Ankhutenshi: Well, Zack had confidence in Kyle and his ability to stand up to Jade. But sooner or later they're going to have their go-round – as you well know. Hee hee.

Pheonica: I think another one of those women with attitude will be showing up shortly. Just a premonition of mine.

Mira: Well, in the meantime, I hope you're not too bugged by the card effects going on in these duels I write. Just to reiterate – though I'm sure you understood the first time – the duels I write are real and genuine, so sometimes they can drag out without a lot of noticeable action... then suddenly spike with "bang" and "boom" as the characters get what they want. And truly evil, eh? Well, if the reviewers say it, it must be so.

Voakands: Heylo, new reviewer. I'm glad you like the personal touches I put in Kyle. I always try to avoid the Mary Sue genre because, after all, whoever wants to read about someone who does everything well? Kyle's got to be dysfunctional somewhere in order to make him "real". As to your request? I can only write so fast even at the height of my ability. As you noted, I've got other stuff IRL to take care of. But thanks for making the story feel wanted.

Monica: Gotta love reviews with such enthusiasm. Thanks!

Lumen: Well, sometimes things just end up being predictable, and that's unavoidable in a story as large as this one. But the real excitement, I think, lies in how the character manages to pull off his/her scheme, and not necessarily whether it's successful.

Eusine: Several people seemed to like the wink. I should do stuff like that more often.

-------

One of the burly security guards scaled the stairs below the booth, looked up at the two duelists, then said, "Mr. McCraine, Ms. Zocallos, if you both will please follow me..."

Kyle released another heavy sigh, then straightened up with great effort and gathered up his deck. _Better go prepare for the deck to receive a few new additions._ He turned to the stairway.

It was that moment that Monica chose to slowly wrap an arm around his waist. At that, he blinked. _Wow. That's nice..._

Theoris was amused. **_Did you not expect to receive affection from her?_**

From Monica? A few months ago I'd have thought she'd gone completely batty. Now, though... now, I think I kinda... like it. He gave her a smile, then placed an arm across her shoulders. "So. How did I do?"

She smiled back. "You did fine. Just fine."

"Guess you were watching, huh?"

They made for the stairway, led on by the guard. She nodded. "I wouldn't doubt if you had at least ten thousand other viewers, too. The signal broadcast throughout L.A., you know."

Kyle scoffed. "Great. Now everyone in L.A. will know I have one Labyrinth Brother and I just won a second one. And you know secrets like that won't be kept."

She shrugged as they stepped down. "So what? I have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I actually have someone looking for what I have because it used to belong to him. Now Madison Enterprises knows I've played it; no doubt Kaiba will come looking for me soon. You, you won Suijin fair and square – a surprising turn of events – and I can only assume you didn't trade in order to get Sanga."

"No, I won it in a duel, just like Suijin."

"Also surprising. But now your deck's going to be that much stronger."

"It'll be that much stronger, anyway, what with all the new cards I'll be introducing." He gave her a significant look. "You probably won't be facing a deck full of commons next time you face off against me."

"Hmm. I think I'll take the chance. Besides, it apparently isn't as full of commons as I'd thought."

The escort guided them into a large room that had one wall covered by a curtain. Inside that room were three people. One was Madison, head hanging surprisingly low for such an aged woman – Kyle wondered if she'd be able to pull it back up. The second was an official-looking gentleman, complete in three-piece suit, thousand-dollar stingray boots, gold-plated Rolex, and gelled Regis haircut, standing to Madison's left. He had a hand on her shoulder, and Kyle wondered if perhaps this was her husband... or worse – in her case, anyway – her boss.

_Hell, maybe he's both..._

The third person... was Chubs.

Kyle's eyes widened. "Whoa. Long time, no see!"

His friend grinned. "I'll say." He offered a hand. "How've you been?"

Kyle shook Chubs' hand firmly. "Well, right now, never better. What're you doing here? Were you the other semi-finalist?"

"Sure was. But a Fire-themed deck doesn't do too well against water." Chubs chucked a thumb at Madison. "Her Umi field card tripped me up."

"Obviously not before you got this far," Kyle noted. "Wow. So it's the three of us that get the spoils, huh?"

"You, the vast majority," Monica pointed out wryly. "How ironic. The one of us that started Duel Monsters the latest has won a tournament in which we all competed and gets better spoils than we do."

"Just goes to show I've taught him well," Chubs responded, grinning widely.

"Yeah, sure, and then I showed him how to handle the game with kid gloves off."

"Now, now, don't you two start in on each other," Kyle admonished, issuing them a little smile of his own.

It was at that moment the well-dressed gentleman cleared his throat. "Good evening, duelists, I'm Benjamin Madison, CEO of Madison Enterprises. I'd like to congratulate you for your accomplishments during this tournament, which certainly has proven spectacular. In particular, Mr. McCraine, you are to be commended for your expert self-control during the finalist duel in the face of such..." He turned to Abigail, whose head ducked lower, if that was possible. "...petty insolence. Let me assure you our opinions are the same as yours, in that all duelists are to be treated as equals when they play their game."

Chubs leaned over to Monica and whispered, "Is there still a TV camera around here or something?"

Monica only shrugged in response, though the response going through her mind was, _I wouldn't be at all surprised._

"Meanwhile," the gentleman continued, "your rewards are well-earned for a day's hard work. In the interests of privacy, Mr. Smith, Ms. Zocallos, if you would please step outside for a few moments while Mr. McCraine selects his prizes..."

The two semi-finalists nodded and left the room, leaving Kyle alone with the Madisons.

"You know," Mr. Madison said, amusement in his tone, "usually I simply have checks printed with the amount intended for the recipient, but since you made that little wager with my wife..." He shot her another glare, to which she didn't respond. "...I had to hand-write this one. I hope you'll pardon the sloppiness of the actual handwriting but the number ought to be clear enough."

With that, he pulled a check out of an inner pocket in his sport coat and handed it to Kyle. Kyle inspected the check; indeed, the handwriting was somewhat choppy, but nevertheless legible.

Pay to the order of: Kyle McCraine

In the amount of: Fifteen thousand and 0/100 $15000.00

The teen couldn't help but grin. "Wow. Thank you, Mr. Madison, I appreciate it."

"All in a day's work, my boy. You also have something else coming to you." Upon this statement, Mr. Madison looked meaningfully at his wife, and though she didn't react at first, she nevertheless began to wither under his stare and finally pulled her deck out of her purse. She grudgingly flipped through it and plucked a card from its depths, then shoved it in Kyle's direction as if it carried the plague.

"I... apologize," she ground out. "You... deserve more respect... Mr. McCraine."

Kyle chose not to laugh at this, although that was his first instinct; they both knew she didn't mean a single word of it, that she thought he was just an amateur with an incredibly lucky break in a duel that would have been all hers otherwise.

"Accepted," he answered briskly, and he took the card she offered. She had passed it to him face-down; he was already sure of what it was, but after flipping it over, it was confirmed... Suijin, just as she had agreed to.

"And thirdly, of course, the rare card collection," said Mr. Madison, and he gestured grandly at the cloaked wall. Upon the gesture, the man that had escorted Kyle and Monica to the room pulled a rope, and the curtain drew away to reveal a wall that looked somewhat like...

"A cigarette dispenser?" Kyle asked quizzically.

Mr. Madison gave a hearty laugh at that one. "Good one, my boy," he guffawed. "That wasn't, as a matter of fact, the original intention of this wall's appearance, but the comparison was made by several of those who helped build it."

The wall was inset with 128 glass cases – 8 columns and 16 rows – each one containing a separate rare Duel Monsters card. Above each card was a small red button, while beneath them there was a slot – presumably where the card was ejected after touching the button.

"Abigail, please leave the room," Mr. Madison instructed. She did so hurriedly, as if wanting nothing more than to simply be out of his sight. That done, he turned back to Kyle. "Now, Mr. McCraine, as this tournament was privately sponsored, I feel it's only fair to let you know that any of the choices you make here will remain in the strictest of confidence. The system has been set up so that even I don't know what all is in those cases – I don't have my glasses on right now, so I could barely tell a green card from a blue one."

"Well, that's not a problem glasses would be able to fix, sir," Kyle quipped.

Mr. Madison issued another loud guffaw. "No, I suppose you're right. Anyhow, for all I know, we might be holding one of Mr. Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon thingies in there and I'll never know, long as you don't tell anyone. What kinda damn fool would put one of them in there in the first place is a mystery to me, of course, but..." He shrugged. "What can I say? People are desperate to compete."

"That they are, sir."

"Well." Mr. Madison gave Kyle one last smile. "I'll be leaving you alone now. Just let Mr. Henley over here know when you're finished making your choices, and he'll make sure the rest of the cards are distributed randomly to the semi-finalists. Remember, you get 96 cards because Abigail forfeited her second place winnings of 32 cards to you."

"Yes, sir, I'll keep that in mind."

"Right. I'll be out of your way now." The older man turned and exited the room.

Kyle began perusing the wall. _Let's see... what do I want?_ Each of the different types of cards had been segregated into the appropriate categories: normal monsters, effect monsters, fusion monsters, ritual monsters, magic cards, and trap cards. _May as well just start from the left._

Mostly the rare monster cards were dragons, which didn't take him by surprise. But what _did_ take him by surprise was the fact that, as Mr. Madison had seemed to predict there would be, there was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in one of the card slots.

At this, Kyle went wide-eyed. _Whoa. Who would have been dumb enough to enter this thing into the tournament?_

**I know not, Kyle. I have several theories, of course, the most prominent of which being that Abigail Madison is responsible for that one.**

Kyle blinked. _Come again?_

**It would make sense to me. She was required to abide by her own rules. She did not wish to wager any of her best cards. Therefore she wagered a card that she would never have played in a duel, instead.**

How would she have gotten hold of a Blue-Eyes?

**_How did Monica acquire hers?_**

...Good point. So should I take it?

**I have an idea. Take it, but do not keep it. Give it to Monica, instead.**

And why would I do that?

**To deepen the bond you share with her. You wish to be her friend; at this time, after your victory in this tournament, she seems to regard you as an equal on the battlefield. Beyond that, she is a valuable person to have by your side, and offering such a gift would prove to her once and for all that you mean to have an enlightening relationship with her.**

And beyond all that, she'll owe me a huge favor.

**...True.**

Kyle grinned and pressed the slot for the Blue-Eyes card. _In that case..._

The card dropped into his hand, protected by a plastic sheath. His grin widened. _One down, ninety-five to go._

--

His tour through the cards afforded him some valuable choices, indeed. He'd picked up Black Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800) for a dragon of his own, as well as the high-powered and low-level Gemini Elf (1900/900) and Vorse Raider (1900/1200) from the normal monsters.

As for effect monsters, particularly intriguing were Penguin Soldier (750/500), an aquatic monster that, when flipped, could send up to two monsters on the field back to their owners' hands; Maha Vailo (1550/1400), a spellcaster that gained a 500 point bonus to its attack power if an equipment magic card were attached to it; Slate Warrior (1900/400), another high-power low-level monster that could either power itself up or power down the monster that was foolish enough to attack and destroy it; Big Shield Gardna (100/2600), the most powerful low-level defender of Duel Monsters and incapable of being targeted by magic cards while face-down; and, most especially, Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500), a level 6 warrior capable of attacking an enemy while in defense mode. _I wonder how well that one would work. That's going in my deck, for sure._

There were several magic cards that proved to be irresistible, including a Raigeki card, capable of destroying all opposing monsters on the field; Tribute to the Doomed, able to destroy any one monster on the field; the equipment cards Axe of Despair and Black Pendant, able to power up any one monster by 1000 and 500 attack points, respectively; Confiscation, which allowed a player to look at his opponent's hand and send one card in it to the graveyard at the cost of 1000 LP; Nobleman of Crossout, meant to destroy and remove from the game one face-down monster; and, of course, the Premature Burial card he put up for grabs, able to bring back one of his own monsters for the sum of 800 LP.

Meanwhile, there were several essential trap cards, including Mirror Force, meant for destroying all attacking monsters; Imperial Order, capable of knocking out all magic cards continuously for 700 LP per turn; Jar of Greed, meant for drawing an extra card; Negate Attack, able to force an end to an opposing Battle Phase; Monica's Solemn Judgment card, able to stop practically any kind of play by paying half a player's current Life Points; and Magic-Arm Shield, a trap for replacing a player's own attacked monster with an opposing monster.

Kyle chose all these and many others, though he gave great consideration to each. _I'm probably not going to be using all of these_, he thought. _As good as they are, I don't think I'll want a lot of them in my deck. I have to have some kind of individuality in it. I want my personality in it, not the personality of a beatdown bully._

**That is, of course, your decision**, Theoris responded. Then he sent a wave of amusement. **_Who knows? Perhaps others may benefit from your possession of those cards._**

"Others" like who?

**For example, Monica, with the Blue-Eyes card. You could also give some to Chubs; I am quite sure he would appreciate a nice power boost to his deck. Consider them thank-you gifts for helping you to come this far.**

True enough. Kyle grinned, then put the stack of cards he'd chosen in his pocket and nodded to the man called Henley, who simply nodded back and pressed a blue button to the side. Half the remaining cards ejected halfway from their slots, waiting for either Chubs or Monica to take them.

Kyle left the room and nodded to his friends. "All yours," he said.

--

The three decided to head back to Kyle's room to celebrate their victories. On his way out the door, Mr. Madison had given Chubs and Monica each their checks for $2500 and his congratulations.

"It might have been nicer to walk away with $15 thousand," Chubs commented dryly, as they moved into the hotel room. "Kyle, my friend, you have a lot of balls to try pulling that off."

"And look what I got for it," Kyle noted. "Now, let's call room service and order up some junk food."

The three of them laughed, and Monica nodded, saying, "Sounds good to me!"

Half an hour later, the room was littered with wrappers, soda cans, and empty potato chip bags. Needless to say, everybody's eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

"I doubt I'll be able to get any sleep tonight," Chubs muttered. "In fact I doubt I'll even be able to get off my fat ass and get myself back to my room. You mind if I just conk out on the floor or something?"

"No, go right ahead," Kyle chuckled.

"Mm. I'd best get back to my room," said Monica. "We're supposed to be on that plane by 8:30 tomorrow morning and it's already 1 a.m. I'm about due for some shut-eye."

"If you can even shut your eyes," Chubs mumbled, as he laid out on the floor. "I'm hyper-wired."

"No doubt. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Monica got up and headed for the door.

"Oh, hey, Monica," Kyle said, also getting up. "Hang on, I'll take you there."

She gave him an amused smirk. "You're _not_ spending the night in my room, McCraine."

"Huh? Me?" He blinked, having not even thought about that. "Hardly. Just something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Ah. Well, in that case, I'll take _you_ there, and you can talk to me on the way."

He rolled his eyes. "Always the critic."

"Got that right." She winked. "Coming?"

"Yeah." Kyle touched his pocket, which still held the considerable stack of Duel Monsters cards, then caught up with Monica in the hall.

"So what's this all about?" she asked.

"Well," he said, "it's about… us, I guess."

She quirked an eyebrow. "What about 'us', Kyle? You worried that I'm mad at you for winning?"

"No, it's not that. But what I want is to make sure that we're on the same page."

"The page _I'm_ on is that we're both friendly acquaintances. What about you?"

"Same page. But I'd like to make sure that we stay that way."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

He pulled the stack out of his pocket. "By doing this." He shuffled through the stack – it didn't take long, the card he was looking for was just a few cards down – and offered it to her. "I want you to have this."

She frowned, then took the card and looked at it. Immediately she gasped, and her gaze flicked back up to him. "You're not serious."

"Perfectly serious," he said. "I have the cards I want. I've got more than enough. Plus I've got Suijin now, which is just as rare."

"What the hell was this doing in the lottery?"

"Dunno. Maybe Madison got hold of it and was just planning to take it right back and use for a bargaining chip for whatever scheme she had going against Kaiba. Maybe some idiot duelist out there didn't realize how rare it was. I think the former theory is the more plausible, but whatever the reason, it was there, and I picked it out specifically so that I could give it to you."

She narrowed her eyes. "There's a catch here somewhere, I know it."

He shrugged. "All I'd ask in return is for anything you know regarding where a Gate Guardian card might be hiding."

"Okay, I thought you weren't serious before, now I think you're flat-out crazy. You're actually wanting Gate Guardian?"

He shrugged again. "Why not? It's a powerful card. Among the elite, and that's where I want to be. Plus I already know of someone who has Kazejin. Maybe I could get her to duel me so that I'll have all three Labyrinth Brothers."

Monica shook her head. "Even if you do, do you think I'd know anything about how to even go _looking_ for Gate Guardian?"

"Not asking you to go looking, I'm just asking you for any info you might have on the card and the whereabouts of a copy… or that if you happen to come across one, you let me know."

She emitted a sigh and looked at the card he'd just given her. "I guess I could do that. It'd be the absolute least I could do to return the favor." She glanced at him again. "Was that the plan? To do a favor for me so that I'd return it?"

"The plan was to give you something that might help further stabilize our friendship," Kyle answered. "And I hope you'll accept it."

She nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes, yes, of _course_ I'll accept it!" She looked up at him and suddenly grinned. "You know, Kyle… you're not nearly as bad as you look."

"Oh, right, I look bad," he chuckled. "After winning a Duel Monsters tournament that the revered Monica Zocallos was a participant in, causing a huge upset and re-defining the realm of elite duelists…"

"Kyle?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

And then she hugged him.

His arms wreathed around her as he returned the gesture, and a smile spread on his face. _Well, well… things just might turn out all right, after all._

-------

Thus concludes this more action-filled segment of the story, but Kyle still has many trials ahead. Coming up, a mysterious man approaches Kyle, much to Theoris' dismay, and challenges him to a duel... the stakes being the very thing that helped Kyle turn his life around. Stay tuned!


	39. Defying Destiny

_A/N: Chapter 39 is here! Now, believe it or not, this was the VERY FIRST I ever wrote of this story... and this segment was written before I even started Shielded Destiny. Yes, indeed, this was what spawned it all. Of course, it's since been tweaked here and there, but most of the content is exactly the same as it was when I first wrote it. I had no idea what I was writing or why I was writing it, but now... now I've got all this and more to show you. Who'd have thought?_

Voakands: No problem about the Mary Sue thing. And as to the cards... well, you'll find out soon enough.

Monica: Not only are you not a mother, you're not mine, so I guess it's kinda useless as a Mother's Day present (my mom doesn't read this fic). Poor dinosaur. And no, I didn't list them all out; that would've been a waste of everyone's time, I think. Even my attention span isn't wide enough to try to wrap my brain around all 96 cards he got. I just listed some of the real goodies.

Eusine: Theoris appreciates the kudos, I'm sure. People didn't seem to figure Chubs as the other semi-finalist, so good to know I can still surprise everyone. As to the mysterious man, I imagine you'll see some of them.

Mira: Neither am I. But that apparently doesn't stop me from trying to write it up when the opportunity arises.

Wolf: Nobody knows. That's part of the fun, some mysteries just go unsolved. And yep, you'll find out soon.

Pheonica: There are those that might argue about the greed thing... perhaps even some like Kyle, who haven't chose a particular theme to their decks. But since Kyle's the guy he is now, it only makes sense he'd be generous; besides, there's plenty to go around. As for the YGO cast, take a look... you might be pleasantly surprised.

--

Three Days Later

--

Kyle paced slowly along the sidewalk, snaking around the northern campus of Trenton University. He was doing well... very well, it seemed. The writing classes he was taking were doing well to enhance his own abilities in that field. He was also making a multitude of friends with the addictive game of Duel Monsters. Ever since the Madison tournament, a plethora of people wanted to duel him and get to know him.

While he knew that many of them only wanted to do it to say they'd dueled the champion of that tourney, he also knew that others did it to learn what they could about the game. He could only chuckle where that was concerned. _Chubs taught me better than he could have ever hoped for, it seems._

_Funny thing is_, he thought, _I wouldn't even have dreamed of going to college a few months ago, much less winning Duel Monsters tournaments... I could only have recurring nightmares about my family and how they were always pushing me to be a doctor._

**_Medicine is a noble profession_**, Theoris observed.

_I'm aware of that, make no mistake_, Kyle assured. _The problem was that it wasn't what I wanted. My first love has always been writing. Even when I had no concept of a decent story, I'd always write... I'd spend extra time on the computer I'd been given so that I could type up some little ditty or other. Most of them were really naive, especially at that age, but it's what I liked then. And it's what I love now._

**_I suppose I can testify to seeing others have to give up what they love in order to pursue what their families expected of them. In Egypt, it was expected of able-bodied men to be in the army for many long years._**

_And you were subject to this protocol._

**Yes. I could only hold to my own sense of justice... I was simply a protector of the nation I loved so dearly.**

_And then you became one with the Millennium Shield, the ultimate protection._

**_It is appropriate, is it not?_**

_I'd like to think so._

**_I am amazed by this free world you live in, that you may defy your family without fear of persecution._**

_That's just the thing. I didn't even think of trying, really trying, until you and the shield came to me. But then everything just seemed to start opening up; I suddenly felt like... I don't know... I felt like I could do anything. I didn't feel so trapped. I saw a whole range of options I hadn't considered before, because I was so narrow-minded. You've helped me a great deal, and now look where it's gotten me. Instead of being a high school dropout, here I am in college, studying the major I've always wanted!_

**_I and the shield serve to help protect you and your interests._**

_And for that, I am indeed grateful._

Kyle allowed a smile to pass across his face as he stared down at the slabs of concrete that constituted the sidewalk. He could only hope his job interview with the publishing company would yield useful results; his hopes rode on getting an internship. He didn't even care where. Janitorial work would even do the trick, as long as he could make it into the writing community somewhere.

A light breeze kicked up and caused his burgundy tie to flap in the breeze, and his open sport coat to swish gently against his back. Only then did Kyle realize how warm he was feeling; he loosened his tie somewhat and unbuttoned the top button of his black dress shirt.

He returned to his apartment and was grateful for somewhere quiet. He removed his tie and sport coat and hung them both up nearby. There was a utility bill waiting for him, which he quickly made sure to pay off, and then sat down at his computer desk. He had writings to edit, and he also needed to check out the news. He activated his television and his desktop computer, and linked his desktop with his laptop to upload all the inspired writings he'd typed up out of the blue – today had yielded a high amount of those.

Kyle grinned. _If there's one thing that I am, it's wired._

He accessed the Internet to see the latest national news, and also took the time to check out some of the latest gossip. There appeared to be whispers of another big Duel Monsters tournament being organized, but so far, the rumors were going entirely unsubstantiated.

Kyle was rather sure that if there was going to be one taking place, he'd end up being invited. His visibility had gone up volumes due to the Madison tournament, and if this supposed new tourney was going to be based on rare cards, as the rumor pool was indicating, then it was a sure thing. After all, he had two pieces of Gate Guardian already. All he had to do was locate the remaining two. He had a constant search running on all auction websites for Kazejin and the Guardian itself, but so far, nothing seemed forthcoming.

_Not as if Jade would really sell Kazejin, anyway. It's too valuable as a Duel Monster. She wants Sanga and Suijin just as badly as I want Kazejin, so now we're hiding from each other to keep them safe. She'll come after them eventually, though._

He sensed Theoris bristle. He frowned. _What's wrong?_

**_Another Millennium item. Perhaps hostile._**

Kyle perked. _Which one?_

**_I cannot tell. But it does not appear to have a spirit within it._**

_So what does that leave?_

**The Millennium Scale, Eye, Ankh, and Tauk were all without spirits when Khensthoth and I encountered them. However, that may have changed since.**

Kyle wasn't encouraged. _How close?_

**_Extremely. To judge would be for me to estimate whoever possesses it is just outside._**

Kyle stood up and moved to his front door. He softly opened the door and stared through the storm door's screen.

Standing on the sidewalk just beyond the landlord's property was a man wearing a beige robe and matching turban. His skin was a deep tan, and his blue eyes were piercing, even from this distance. Around his neck was a thick brown cord carrying what appeared to be an artifact of solid gold.

**_A guardian! What does he want?_**

Kyle was taken aback by Theoris' reaction to the man. He did not speak aloud. _That's the item?_

**_Yes, the Millennium Ankh. It has the ability to see into your mind._**

I thought the Millennium Eye did that.

**This is on a different level. It does not scan just your surface thoughts, it looks through your heart.**

The man on the sidewalk did not move, but instead stared straight at Kyle, his arms limply at his sides.

_Maybe I should go talk to him..._

**No, not yet.**

Kyle frowned. _Why? What's the problem?_

**He is a guardian... one who has been tasked to keep the balance of the Millennium items. He and his ilk have maintained that balance for millennia. But now the balance has been disrupted because you found the shield. They are the last bastion of the ancient council that ordered the shield's destruction. The shield has been untouched – uncorrupted – by an evil user. They wish to maintain the balance.**

Kyle gripped at his pendant protectively. _I'm not an evil user._

**Such matters make little difference to these people. It is the same now as it was then.**

Then what do I do?

**_I believe he wants to destroy the shield. But the only way he can take the shield from you is by dueling you for it._**

What does Duel Monsters have to do with all this? Kyle was confused.

**_The game of Duel Monsters is much more ancient than you know. This is something I have yet to teach you; for now, you only need know that this will be his method, should be choose to attempt to deprive you of the shield._**

Okay, so what do I do about it, if I can't go out there and talk to him?

**I did not want you to go to him with no knowledge of what he may desire. I believe he will not leave unless you duel him.**

Duel him for what's already mine?

**If you do not, he will remain here until you do.**

I could just call the cops on him.

**It would not be so easy to simply remove him from your sight. You must do it now.**

What if I lose?

**Do not allow yourself to gain that mindset, or it will consume your every thought. You have your deck?**

Kyle patted his pocket, where his Duel Monsters deck sat protected within its case. _Right here._

**Then go out to meet him. You are that much more safe with your deck.**

Kyle took a deep breath and pushed the storm door open. He slowly approached the man on the sidewalk. His features got clearer as Kyle moved closer, and Kyle noted that the man appeared Egyptian. _That helps confirm he's a guardian._

Kyle stopped in the middle of the lawn and stuck his hands casually in his pockets. The one in his right pocket clutched his deck's plastic case like a lifeline. "Is there something I can do for you?"

The man's voice sounded light, airy, almost both male and female. "I believe you already know what I desire. The powers of the Millennium Shield were not meant for use. If it had not escaped our grasp, it would have become simply another Duel Monsters card, not a weapon of such terrible power."

"How did you know I even had the shield in the first place?"

"I am able to detect such powers as those of your shield. Besides... it is impossible to go unnoticed as part of your attire, especially after becoming a face seen across the nation."

_Argh... he's right, I got caught in the cameras and so did the shield..._

**You may find even more enemies now that such an occurrence has taken place.**

I hope not.

"As it is, I maintain the shield is an extremely dangerous tool."

"I don't use it as a weapon," Kyle remarked, "and if you're as watchful a guardian as I've heard, then you ought to know that."

"I am aware that you have already proven yourself as a worthy owner, but I cannot simply allow the shield to continue to exist."

Kyle's heart skipped a few beats, but he didn't back down. "That's not your choice anymore."

"Perhaps not, but I possess the ability to change that."

"And I possess the ability to stop you. What do you plan to do about the shield's existence? You want to simply destroy it?"

"It cannot continue to exist simply because it now has an owner. It is not worthy as a Millennium item. Its powers are too volatile."

"I haven't found them to be. And the spirit within it has helped me in countless ways. You can't begin to imagine his effect on me."

"And that is why it must be destroyed."

"Why?"

"I am aware of the spirit within the shield. His concern with justice would overshadow his ability to maintain the secret of the items and their power. He would reveal that power to the world through his intentions to do good."

"He hasn't so far."

"He will."

Kyle shook his head. "Your Millennium item can't see the future. You don't know that events will turn out that way. And I believe you should give both the shield and Theoris a fair chance."

"I intend to do precisely that. I am here to challenge you to a duel. The winner keeps the Millennium Shield."

"Accepted, on one condition."

"Being?"

"Tell me your name."

The man pulled a Duel Monsters deck from within the folds of his robe. "I am Shadi."

Kyle pulled his own deck out of his pocket and removed it from its case. "Where will we duel, then? On the sidewalk?"

The man called Shadi shook his head, and his free hand touched his Millennium Ankh. "No... I have a much different location in mind. Since we are dueling for the fate of an item in possession of Shadow powers, it is only fitting that we duel where the game was truly born."

**_He is going to take you to the Shadow Realm!_**

Kyle frowned. _What?_

**_He wants to show you what you are really dueling for. This is precisely what I had hoped to avoid. He is taking you to the Shadow Realm to show you the true power within the cards and the items!_**

The Millennium Ankh began to emanate a dazzling golden glow, and Shadi's blazing blue eyes bored straight into Kyle's.

_What is this "Shadow Realm"? And what's the point of taking me there when we could duel anywhere on Earth?_

**The Shadow Realm is the place from whence the creatures in the ancient pharaonic Shadow Games come. It is a place of eternal torment for any who dare venture there – or worse, are lost. Furthermore, the reason he takes you there now is because the ankh and the shield both have great powers within them, and it is those powers both he and you must employ to do battle.**

But why?

The space around Kyle and Shadi grew dark and cloudy, and the features of their surroundings faded into darkness. They seemed to be enveloped in a black cloud, with violet lightning flashing overhead.

Kyle could still see his opponent, though... but Shadi appeared to be further away than he had been just moments ago. The smartly-dressed teen registered this and briefly wondered how that was possible, but then recalled Theoris telling him that in the Shadow Realm, pretty much anything involving the unknown was possible. He chose not to question that.

**_This is not simply a duel. This is to determine my fate, and the fate of the shield. The stakes are higher than you have ever known. This is your ultimate proving ground. You must use the monsters at your command wisely and to the highest advantage. Keep in mind that you must respect them and their power... this is the only way they will obey you unquestioningly._**

Gee, thanks for not putting any pressure on me...

All features of the world that Kyle knew had by this time disappeared. The only light came from some unknown source above the dark clouds, which caused those clouds' edges to shine a bright purple. Violet lightning continued to flash between the clouds.

The ground below them had also been replaced. Instead of grass and sidewalk, Kyle found himself standing on a plateau of smooth gray stone.

Shadi held his deck in his hand in such a way as to suggest that he was going to put it down somewhere. However, his hand was hovering high above the ground, and there appeared to be no convenient pedestal for him to place the cards.

Shadi released his deck.

And it seemed to hang in midair.

Kyle frowned, again wondering how that was possible. _Must be whatever powers he's got. Now I've got to play on his level._

**Then you must reveal the shield.**

His pendant glimmered gold, shades of purple zapping across it. At the same time, his right forearm began to glow with the same effect. The pendant disappeared into a beam of golden energy and shot straight to his forearm.

The energy expanded across the outside of his arm and formed the shape of the Millennium Shield. On the inside of his arm looped two bands of energy of the same intensity. The glow dimmed, and the shield revealed itself in its true proportions.

As usual, the shield did not seem to bear any remarkable weight to it, which had always baffled Kyle. When he'd first picked it up, it'd had some weight to it, but now that he was its owner...

He shook his head. He had to live in the present. The fate of the Millennium Shield depended on it.

He began to concentrate. Bending the Shadow powers within the item to his will took a conscious effort, especially as he'd never really tried to do anything more than change the shield's size; fortunately, Theoris' wisdom proved useful in this regard. The symbol at the center of the shield – the Eye of Horus – glimmered as he focused the energies of his item. _I've never done this before. Help me out._

**First, you must envision a dueling board. Then, simply let there be one in front of you, and place your deck on it. You will feel the power flow and bend to your command.**

He held his deck out in midair, the same way Shadi had, and simply let it sit there.

It hung there, just as Shadi's.

The lightning flashing above their heads abruptly shot down at them and struck their decks. Kyle's eyes widened, but he dared not touch his cards.

**_Do not be frightened; your deck is being shuffled by the powers of the Shadow Realm, as is his deck._**

The lightning retracted into the sky, leaving both decks seemingly unscathed. Shadi silently drew five cards. Kyle did the same.

"We shall play for 8000 Life Points," Shadi announced. "This is how the ancients battled each other. Your life force embodies those points; as you lose them, you will be weakened. We shall also play under sacrifice rules. I should hope you are aware of those rules."

Kyle rolled his eyes, but was nevertheless intrigued. _Eight thousand LP? This should be quite interesting._

The two duelists stared at their cards for a moment. Since Shadi had issued the challenge, Kyle got to make the first move. He drew his sixth card, then perused his hand carefully. Though he had built his deck and placed his faith in each card, he also knew he had to prove that he was capable of handling the power.

And the Shadow Game began.

-------

_Next up: the Shadow Game._


	40. Duel of Fate I

_A/N: With the arrival of chapter 40, the Shadow Game begins!_

Mira: Well, have no fear, I think this chapter is well-written in regard to how well our heroes fare in the Shadow Realm. But that's my egotism getting in the way. Let me know what you think!

Eusine: That day may yet come. And you're probably right about the cliffie... but see for yourself.

Wolf: I wrote this thing last October. I think. There must be some weird time continuum between you and me. Or maybe it only seems longer because of how much I've hyped it. Whichever, now you get to see it. Enjoy!

Pheonica: Well, as far into the story as we are, it could very well be a toss-up. Intertwined Fates might all end right here! And then I'd get strangled. Hrm.

-------

Kyle's LP - 8000

Shadi's LP - 8000

--

"I'll place three magic/traps face-down," Kyle announced, "and set one monster in defense mode."

He placed his cards as he would have on a dueling mat, right next to his floating deck. It was like an invisible barrier hovered there for him to simply place the cards.

A triplet of wide vortices, all glowing indigo around the fringes and white in the center, appeared directly in front of Kyle's feet. Kyle allowed himself a small smile. _Crossing the colors of the magic and trap card borders so he doesn't know which is which from what I've laid down._

In front of the indigo vortexes was another vortex that glowed a syrupy-golden yellow fading into black in the center, much like the back of a Duel Monsters card.

Shadi did not seem to be surprised by any of this. It was as if he'd dueled this way before. He simply observed what happened, then impassively searched his hand. He removed three cards from it.

"I shall place two magic/traps face-down and one monster in defense mode."

The vortices appeared as they had with Kyle: two indigo, one gold.

Kyle silently drew a new card. _Paydirt._

"I place another magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

A fourth indigo vortex appeared, and the pre-existing ones actually shifted so that two were on Kyle's right, while the other two were on his left. As if they "wanted" their owner to be at the center of the game.

Shadi barely acknowledged the play, swiftly drawing another card. "I place another magic/trap face-down..."

An indigo vortex appeared.

"And I now sacrifice my monster, Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)–"

Kyle rolled his eyes. _Just great._

"–select a monster from my deck–"

Shadi picked through his deck quickly and pulled one card into his hand.

"–and call forth Queen of Autumn Leaves (1800/1500) in attack mode!"

From the vortex previously occupied by Witch of the Black Forest came a burst of light and sparkles. Out of the light came a beautiful maiden adorned with a crown of red and brown leaves, ready to strike. She looked far more real than any hologram Kyle had ever seen – and if he was to believe what Theoris was telling him, in the Shadow Realm, the monsters _were_ real.

Making them fight each other did not seem very humane to him.

Kyle extended one hand toward the card he'd placed on his previous turn. "Not so fast. Activate Trap Hole!"

The vortex for Trap Hole shot forward and opened up a gigantic gap in the stone plateau underneath the Queen. She shrieked as she fell in.

The hole sealed over as quickly as it had opened, dooming the Queen to the graveyard.

Kyle smiled grimly. "My cards won't be that easy to attack."

Shadi frowned. "Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, because I chose a monster from my deck, my deck is now shuffled."

As if to emphasize the point, another bolt of lightning struck Shadi's deck, re-shuffling it in the most dramatic sense.

Kyle, in actuality, was not at all happy about the play he'd just made. True, he'd saved his face-down card, but in the process, he'd condemned one of Shadi's monsters to its death.

_Unless he's got Monster Reborn..._

He shook his head. It was true that he would have to consider what Shadi's deck was capable of, but it didn't seem to Kyle that a guardian of ancient magic would be the type of man to play completely unprotected. Hence the two face-down cards he still had in play.

Shadi conceded the rest of his turn, and Kyle drew another card. _Time to draw him out._ "I play Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode!"

To the left of the vortex from his first card there appeared another, and this one projected a fearsome beast bearing a vicious dual-bladed axe. It growled hungrily at its opponent.

Kyle experienced a sudden drain of energy. He felt a little more tired, a little more sluggish. It felt as though it were almost coming from him, rather than his Millennium item. He guessed it was his Shadow powers being affected by conjuring these monsters and bending them to his will.

_All the more reason to finish the duel quickly._ He tried to clamp down hard. "On top of that, I activate the trap card Robbin' Goblin. Now for every LP loss I cause to you in battle, you have to discard a card from your hand."

Out of one of the rear vortices, a goblin with a huge bag over its shoulder and a rictus grin on its green face wavered into being.

"Vorse Raider, attack Shadi's Life Points!"

Vorse Raider took up its axe and hurled it mightily across the field; it slammed straight into some sort of barrier perhaps a foot in front of Shadi's invisible podium. Shadi stumbled backward, his power apparently disrupted, as his Life Points were taken down to 6100.

Kyle could discern no trap or magic effects in response to the attack. It appeared as though he'd gotten away scot-free with dealing direct damage. He raised an eyebrow. Perhaps the guardian was rusty? Surely he'd be better prepared than this.

Shadi stepped back up to his cards and nodded in a congratulatory salute, even as the one card he still held disappeared to the graveyard from the effect of Robbin' Goblin. "It is good to know that I battle a worthy foe."

"We should stop this," Kyle said. "It's getting out of hand. I don't want to hurt you."

"I cannot allow the Millennium Shield's existence to go unchallenged. The Shadow Game must continue."

Kyle closed his eyes and bowed his head. "As you wish, then. It's your turn."

Shadi silently drew a card, then announced, "I summon Dark Elf (2000/800) in attack mode and, as per her effect, sacrifice one thousand Life Points to attack your Vorse Raider."

Shadi's Dark Elf pressed her palms together, closed her eyes, and uttered a prayer in her native tongue. Her image wavered before their eyes. At the same time, an orb of purple energy appeared above her, then zipped across the field and incinerated Kyle's monster.

At the same time, Kyle felt a drain of his own energy, and he winced slightly. It was just a notch below "painful", but it was beyond "noticeable". His Life Points had descended to 7900.

When the display was finished, Kyle glanced down at his "board" and noticed that the Skull Mariner card had disappeared. He could only assume it had gone to the graveyard, as had Shadi's monsters before it. And Shadi's Life Points, meantime, had gone down to 5100.

Kyle frowned at the logic, or absence thereof, behind Shadi's attack. "I've only lost four hundred Life Points from that attack... you've lost a thousand, and you won the round!"

"You must know," said Shadi, "that you share a bond with your monsters, and that you must commit yourself totally when you are attacking, even when it means you will lose more than you gain."

"It doesn't make sense to hurt yourself more than you hurt your opponent."

"Sometimes, such a situation is called for, even if it is not apparent."

Kyle wondered about this. _Maybe he thinks I'm trying to play two cards to summon one of the Labyrinth Brothers, in which case, a thousand LP deduction would be acceptable. He apparently doesn't have any traps which can stop me from attacking, so this is the only way he can take me down._

"At any rate, it is now your turn." Shadi beheld Kyle with his piercing blue eyes.

Kyle drew one card. "I play Mysterious Puppeteer (1000/1500) in attack mode."

Another monster vortex appeared and spewed forth light, from which sprang a character in a purple cloak that covered everything except the eyes and hands. Its glowing orange eyes stared across the distance at Shadi's Dark Elf. Meanwhile, its curative magic performed its duty, as its effect allowed. _Now every time we normally summon or flip summon monsters, I gain 500 Life Points... and it applies to its own effect._ His LP rose to 8400.__

"Next, I'll reveal my defensive monster, Bite Shoes (500/300)."

The other monster vortex also spat light out and brought from its depths a pair of very evil-looking high heels. They might have been laughable were they not so utterly disgusting. Razored teeth adorned the "mouth" and a single huge eyeball sat in the centers of both. Their reddish fleshy coverings pulsed, blood evident within them. Kyle's LP again heightened, this time to 8900. He felt himself grow stronger and more self-assured with each gain.

"I call Bite Shoes' effect and force Dark Elf to defense mode."

Shadi's Dark Elf card turned horizontally before their eyes, and the monster herself bent down on one knee, taking defensive stance.

"Mysterious Puppeteer, attack Dark Elf!"

Puppeteer was playful about his job. He held up the marionette in his left hand and then released it, holding it in midair by whatever vile magic he possessed. The marionette came to life and chattered its teeth at Dark Elf, then emitted a blue bolt of energy straight at her. Dark Elf crumpled and blew apart.

Shadi did not express himself facially, but his demeanor implied annoyance and amusement at the same time. Kyle watched his opponent carefully. "Now, Bite Shoes, attack his Life Points!"

A vile substance boiled from the "mouths" of the shoes – perhaps it was some kind of bile – and splattered at Shadi's feet. The Egyptian stumbled slightly as his LP fell to 4600 – but Robbin' Goblin's effect couldn't apply in this case, since Shadi was already bereft of all cards in his hand.

"End turn," Kyle said.

Shadi drew one card, then immediately set it in his magic/trap field. "I'll place this face-down and end my turn."

Kyle's eyes narrowed as he drew his next card. _No monsters, but I can't risk that being a trap card. Even if it isn't, if I attack with both my monsters, he only loses 1500 LP to a pair of relative weaklings; if he summons anything with an attack beyond a thousand, he'll be safe and I'll be screwed. I'll bide my time for the moment._ "Mysterious Puppeteer and Bite Shoes, go to defense mode. My turn's finished."

Mysterious Puppeteer, like Dark Elf, knelt down, though it was hard to tell from the way the cloak held his form. Bite Shoes simply clattered together impatiently – Kyle was reminded of a movie about rainbows.

Shadi pulled another card from his deck. "I shall play a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

_Goody, a twist. Now I've got a face-down to contend with and a possible trap card behind it. Attacking with either monster could be disastrous. Goes to show I shouldn't waste an opportunity like that._

**_You are doing well_**, Theoris assured him. **_Simply continue to press your advantage and you will win._**

Kyle pulled another card from his deck. _I need to have a sizeable hand, otherwise I'm fighting blind._ "I'll draw and end my turn."

Shadi silently confirmed that he'd heard Kyle by drawing. "I shall place another card face-down and end my turn."

A fourth magic/trap vortex flowed into existence in front of Shadi.

_I'm losing control of the duel_, Kyle thought, panicking. _It'd have gone a lot better if I'd just tried to attack while he had the first unknown magic/trap out._

**_Even if it had been successful, you would have had two weak monsters in attack mode, just waiting to be destroyed. You have all of your Life Points, while he is missing nearly half of his own. You are doing well_**, Theoris insisted. **_Stay calm and focus on your strategy._**

Kyle nodded. "Okay," he said aloud. "I'll draw another card... and end my turn."

"I shall do the same."

Kyle pulled another card. "Again, I end my turn without playing anything."

"And again, I do the same."

Kyle drew another card. "I place one card face-down and summon Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode."

The Slate Warrior was a monster well-known to the dueling community. It rose slowly out of the vortex that had opened up for it, looking as if it had all the time in the world to come out and play the game. Its body was the same consistency as the stone the duelists stood in, and its gigantic muscles bulged in anticipation of the attack.

Kyle felt the drain of the power within the shield – and himself – from bending the warrior to his own will, but at the same time he sensed the Life Point gain, now up to 9400.

"Slate Warrior, attack his monster!"

Shadi quickly grabbed one of the magic/trap cards he'd placed and flipped it face-up. "I activate Widespread Ruin."

As Slate Warrior ran toward the vortex for Shadi's monster, it was rudely interrupted by Shadi's orange Widespread Ruin cloud, which shot forward and directly into the attacking monster's path. Slate Warrior didn't make a sound as it rushed into oblivion.

The cloud in mid-air disappeared, as did the monster.

Kyle glanced down at his "board" and saw the Slate Warrior card literally fade out of existence. He could only hope that the true card hadn't been destroyed, as well.

_Man... that was the only good card I had on the field. Well, I can at least see what he'll have in store for me._ "In that case, I activate the magic card Ancient Telescope."

In accordance with the rules on the card Kyle activated, the top five cards of Shadi's deck faded away and appeared, one by one, in front of Kyle. His eyes narrowed. _Well, now at least I know a little bit of what he's really got._

Moments later, the cards again disappeared and reappeared in the same order atop Shadi's deck.

"Your move," said Kyle.

"Very well." Shadi wasted no time in playing. "I play Dark Zebra (1800/400) in attack mode."

A zebra with an apparent bad attitude and a horn projecting from its forehead appeared on the field and stamped its hooves impatiently. Once more, Kyle's Life Points rose – now they sat at a colossal 9900.

"Dark Zebra, attack Mysterious Puppeteer."

Dark Zebra charged forward and impaled Mysterious Puppeteer on its horn. Puppeteer cried out loudly before transforming into energy and exploding.

_Great. Not only do I lose my better monster, I lose the LP increase on summons. Gotta think on my feet._

Shadi did not lose his composure. "That will end my turn."

Kyle quickly drew another card, and mentally sighed with relief. "I'll sacrifice Bite Shoes to play Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500) in defense mode."

Bite Shoes sank back into the vortex from which they'd come, and in their place rose a powerful warrior festooned with armor, several massive blades, and an even more massive shield. It positioned itself between Shadi's field and Kyle.

"That ends my turn."

Shadi again gave a small nod of appreciation, but did not say anything to confirm it. He swiftly drew his next card, then announced, "I place one card face-down and play Tainted Wisdom (1250/800) in attack mode."

A floating brain with numerous strands of fibrous material hanging freely from the bottom rose out of the vortex created for it. Kyle found himself wincing at the sight of the "creature".

"I reveal my face-down monster, Ancient Brain (1000/700)..."

The remaining hidden monster on Shadi's field also rose up out of its hole, appearing in the form of a stout old man whose brain was in painful evidence thanks to the apparent removal of the top half of his skull. He growled menacingly at Kyle and Shogun.

"And I use the magic of Polymerization."

Before Kyle could even react, the whirling energies of Shadi's Polymerization card melded the essences of the two vile creatures together, to create one of the most terrifying and awesome monsters Kyle had ever had the pleasure – or disdain – of meeting.

"Behold the Skull Knight (2650/2250), ready to destroy even your Labyrinth Brother cards." Shadi spoke quietly, no degree of triumph in his voice at all. Skull Knight was a giant monk garbed in black robes and bone armor polished to a dazzling white. The shield it bore seemed to have been taken from the face of a mighty beast, and the huge scimitar it wielded in its right hand also seemed to have been taken from an animal's skeletal remains.

_Yeah, right. Sanga's attack may be fifty points lower, but only fifty. Flat attack power isn't everything._ Kyle tried to assure himself against the thought of the Skull Knight eradicating his cards. And worse, his Life Points.

"Skull Knight, attack Total Defense Shogun!"

Shadi's monster seemed to glide across the field – Kyle couldn't discern any feet beneath the hem of that robe – and then swung its massive sword around, to bring it crashing down on Shogun's shield. The attack was too much for it, and the shield broke, leaving the warrior behind it to be pierced and destroyed by that sword.

_With Shogun gone, I'm open to attack!_

That fact was not lost on Shadi. "Dark Zebra, attack his Life Points!"

Dark Zebra raced across the field, charging directly at Kyle. As with Vorse Raider attacking Shadi, however, its charge was stopped abruptly perhaps a foot in front of his remaining floating cards. Its horn bashed into some sort of invisible barrier there.

Nevertheless, Kyle felt the hit and was thrown backwards by the force of it. It came as a blunt, full-body blow, rather than a sharp impaling attack, as Dark Zebra probably would have liked it. He landed on his back and groaned in pain. "Ohh... ow..."

Kyle struggled back to his feet, feeling as though the Life Points – the remains of which still sat at a remarkably high 8100 – had been ripped directly from him. _And who's to say they weren't?_

Shadi stared impassively at him. "Your move."

Kyle drew another card. "I'll call forth Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode."

A sorcerer garbed in blue robes appeared on the field, his eyes closed and his lips moving in silent meditation.

"Next, I activate the magic card Tremendous Fire."

The area around them, so dark at first, was immediately set to a burning orange-yellow glow, and streams of fire enveloped both players, though Shadi was hit more intensely than Kyle. Both players staggered – by the effect of the magic card, Kyle's LP was taken down to 7600, while Shadi's sunk to 3600.

When Shadi recovered, he accused, "You claimed you did not want to injure me. Are you now reneging on that claim?"

"I want the Millennium Shield to be injured even less than you. 500 LP from me and 1000 from you seems like a fair trade to me if we're going to play this seriously." Kyle pulled two more cards from his hand. "And I'm not finished yet. I'll place these two cards face-down."

Two more indigo vortices sprung into existence in front of Kyle, one to each side. He allowed a small, grim smile. "That'll do it for this turn."

Shadi's eyes narrowed. Kyle wouldn't have expected any less.

"I shall draw one card and end my turn," Shadi announced.

Kyle snorted. _What a shame... he's not taking the bait. Too bad for him._ "I summon Kojicocy (1500/1200) in attack mode."

Kojicocy was a muscle-bound warrior, and it acted like one, growling in anticipation as it surveyed the opposition. Kyle paid little attention to its attitude. "I activate the trap card Reinforcements and increase Kojicocy's attack strength to two thousand."

As if to emphasize the point, Kojicocy was suddenly surrounded by a myriad of other warriors clad in medieval armor.

"Kojicocy, attack Dark Zebra!"

"Activate Widespread Ruin," Shadi proclaimed. As Kojicocy charged toward Dark Zebra, one of Shadi's indigo vortices jumped in the way of Kyle's creature and swallowed Kojicocy entirely.

_Damn! I hate that card! Well, at least it's not going to the graveyard by itself._ "Probably should have just let it destroy your monster, Shadi. Activate Michizure. Now I get to take one of your monsters to the grave alongside Kojicocy."

A pair of gigantic arms shot out of one of Kyle's magic/trap vortices, reached across the expanse, and grabbed Skull Knight around the midsection. The powerful monster cried out as the arms pulled him into the swirling energies within the hole, which vanished a moment later.

Again, Shadi did not permit a reaction to cross his features, if he even had a reaction at all. Kyle could only hope that he was at least annoyed by the destruction of the best monster the field had yet seen in this duel.

_Can't attack Dark Zebra, though. Shame._ "Your turn."

Shadi drew. As he did so, his Dark Zebra went into defense mode. Kyle frowned, then recalled the effect that particular card had. _Duh. Dark Zebra goes to defense whenever it's the only monster on its controller's side of the field._

"I shall place one card face-down and sacrifice my Dark Zebra in exchange for a higher-level monster," Shadi announced, the powers of the Shadow Realm moving his cards accordingly.

_He's up to something... I'll have to take it out. Effect monster? It wouldn't have an effect like Man-Eater Bug, no high-level monster has that effect. An effect card with more than four stars, and in defense mode... I don't know of many 5-star effect monsters with a defense below 1550, so I'd best not attack until I get something stronger._

"That will end my turn."

Kyle drew. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

Shadi responded by drawing, as well. "I reveal my current monster, Reaper of the Cards (1380/1930) in attack mode, and activate its flip effect to destroy one trap card... so it shall remove Robbin' Goblin from the field."

Shadi's Reaper of the Cards looked much as its name implied, and even more so as it swung its sickle into the goblin still on Kyle's field.

"Next, I shall equip my monster with Malevolent Nuzzler to increase its attack to 2080."

Reaper suddenly was not the only creature on Shadi's field, for a green-skinned, genie-like woman with three purple eyes came to join it. Her smoky tail wrapped around the monster and she grinned sadistically at Kyle's side of the field.

"Reaper of the Cards, attack Maha Vailo."

Reaper soared across the expanse and hacked at Maha Vailo with its huge sickle. The sorcerer let out a shout before blowing apart.

Kyle grimaced as a portion of his Life Points was taken by the hit, as well, leaving him with 7070. _I might have switched him to defense mode..._

There was nothing he could do about it now, however. _At least he's got no other monsters out to make mince meat of my Life Points – which, by the way, have suddenly turned into a very weird value._

"My turn is over," said Shadi.

Kyle drew. _I have to take the offensive pretty quickly if I'm gonna survive this... Let's hope this works..._ "I play two cards face-down and summon Red-Moon Baby (700/1000) in attack mode."

There appeared certainly one of the uglier monsters present in Kyle's deck, though many of them were admittedly far from pretty. His eyes glowed a harsh blue, and only a small sprout of white hair kept him from being called bald. His ears came to stark points, and his chubby face was anything but attractive. He wore a green cloak that covered his body completely.

"That'll end my turn."

Shadi pulled his next card. "I set one monster in defense mode, and then activate the trap card Ultimate Offering and sacrifice five hundred Life Points to set another monster in defense mode."

Two new monster vortices appeared, one on either side of Reaper of the Cards, while Shadi's Life Points continued to dwindle – now to 3100. His eyelids were drooping slightly over his eyes, giving him the slightest appearance of being inebriated... or tired. His voice, however, didn't support either assumption.

"Reaper of the Cards, destroy Red-Moon Baby."

Reaper lunged forward.

"Activate Reverse Trap!" Kyle responded, extending his hand toward one of the cards he'd placed during his previous turn.

An impish creature jumped out of the hole and shot straight for the Malevolent Nuzzler creature. The imp grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her away from the Reaper, and though she fought and shrieked, Reaper went forward with the attack without her assistance – and instead with a 700 point reduction from its original attack power.

The cut slashed across Red-Moon Baby's cape, but that only made it emit a sharp squawk of protest. Then its blue eyes burned more brightly and emitted twin beams of energy that wreathed around Reaper and reduced it to ashes. The destruction of Reaper heralded the loss of another 20 Life Points, thus leaving Shadi with 3080.

**_Reversing the effect of Malevolent Nuzzler. Impressive._**

Thanks, but it's not over yet. At least he put those other cards in defense mode.

"Very well," Shadi said quietly. "I shall place one card face-down and end my turn."

Red-Moon Baby's eyes glimmered even more harshly than before as the effect it possessed took place. _Now I get to use Reaper as I please._ A vortex opened up next to the Baby and from it appeared Reaper of the Cards.

"Reaper of the Cards, go to defense mode," Kyle ordered. He frowned even as the creature obeyed his command. _He could pay another five hundred LP to put his Malevolent Nuzzler on top of his deck, but he's choosing not to._

He likely feels that will serve no purpose at this time.

Probably right. Kyle drew. _In the meantime, I'm fighting blind. I need to build my hand back up. At least I'll have a couple of goodies to protect my LP, for the moment._ "I draw one card, switch Red-Moon Baby to defense mode, and end my turn."

Shadi drew, then promptly placed that card. "I shall place one card face-down and end my turn."

Kyle drew once more and tried to keep his cool, which was admittedly hard to do. He wanted to attack, but neither of the cards on his field seemed quite up to the task, even with Shadi's monsters in defense mode. And he had absolutely no idea what Shadi was putting in his magic/trap field, in the meantime. It was better not to risk it. _Besides, even if he does attack, I've got a surprise waiting for him. _"I draw... and end my turn."

"I shall also finish my turn without playing a card."

"I do so again."

"As do I."

_He's getting ready to strike... I can feel it... Time to give him some._ Kyle drew, then announced, "I'm sacrificing Red-Moon Baby from the field and Kotodama (0/1600) from my hand."

**_Are you mad?!_**

Stick with me, here. "Next, I'll activate this." Kyle extended his open hand toward one of the magic/trap vortices that had been opened early in the game and had waited patiently for its chance. It expelled a huge puff of indigo smoke; when the smoke cleared, it revealed what appeared to be a chubby chef slaving over a gigantic hot stove, a metal spatula in hand.

The chef shouted incoherently at Kotodama and Red-Moon Baby, and the huge stove belched dark fire. The two monsters obediently moved onto the stove's single grill burner, turned up to maximum.

Kyle couldn't help but grin at the nearly comical goings-on before him. Though it was a shame that he had to sacrifice these two monsters, the reward was quite satisfactory. And the monsters had served their purpose; he could have asked his deck for no better.

He looked to the chef. "Put that Hamburger Recipe of yours to use."

The chef nodded silently and started whacking at the sacrificed monsters with his spatula, twisting their dead forms and shaping them. Then he conjured condiments and ingredients, seemingly from nowhere, and applied them to his creation.

The process culminated when Kyle finally placed the card he wanted to summon on the "board". At the same time, the chef placed his creation on a platter and "served" it to the field. He, the stove, and the platter then conveniently vanished, leaving behind only his creation.

The creation in question appeared to be a gigantic hamburger, like any other served at fast food restaurants. It even had a large toothpick down the middle of it to keep the ingredients from falling out. But what separated this from other hamburgers, other than its size, was the fact that it had large, gleaming teeth protruding from the interiors of the buns, and it was drooling condiments.

"Take a look, Shadi. The Hungry Burger (2000/1850) in attack mode."

The creature emitted a menacing, gargling growl.

"And since that was a special summon, I also place one monster in defense mode."

A third monster vortex appeared in front of Kyle's four magic/trap vortices.

_Gotta attack. No time like the present._ "I switch Reaper of the Cards to attack mode, then activate Malevolent Nuzzler and apply it to Reaper, just as you did."

Reaper once again was wreathed by a grinning female genie as its attack power was boosted to 2080.

"Reaper of the Cards, attack the monster on the left!"

Reaper swept in towards Shadi's creature. Shadi gave no indication of activating any trap cards, which only served to encourage both Kyle and his stolen monster.

The sickle's point sliced straight into the heart of that vortex, and the monster was revealed even as it was skewered.

_Queen's Double (350/300). Probably a good thing, then, otherwise he might have used her to stage a direct attack on my LP, as per that nasty little effect of hers._ "Now, Hungry Burger, attack his remaining monster!"

Hungry Burger floated forward, growling its strange growl. It opened its massive, alien jaws and clamped down on the vortex... and also, presumably, the monster within it.

The monster was revealed, and Kyle gasped. _Oh, no..._

"You've destroyed my Princess of Tsurugi (900/700)," Shadi announced quietly. "And for that, there shall always be a price."

And indeed, there was a price to be paid, thanks to the Princess's flip effect. Smoke floated up out of Hungry Burger's maw, presumably the soul remains of the Princess, and fired a thunderbolt directly at Kyle, stopping only at his barrier.

Nevertheless, he was flung back and struck the stony ground hard, his Life Points reduced to 5570. He groaned. _500 LP for every magic and trap I've got on the field... Saving grace that Hamburger Recipe was destroyed during the ritual. Still, a 1500 LP loss..._

**_Are you all right?_**

I'll be fine.

He struggled back to his feet and gasped for breath. _Not much else I can do at this point._ "Point taken. Your move."

Shadi slipped another card from the top of his deck, then picked two from his hand. "I shall place one card face-down set one monster in defense, and sacrifice 500 Life Points to set another. That ends my turn." His Life Points descended to 2580.

_Boy, now we got a lot of what-ifs involved here... I don't want to risk a trap card, and I don't want to be knocked down another fifteen hundred points for another Princess of Tsurugi, even as unlikely as that might be..._

He pulled his next card. "I draw and end my turn."

Shadi drew. "I do the same."

_He's looking for something. Can't let him find it, but I can't risk my monsters' destruction, either._ Kyle drew again. "I'll place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Shadi slipped the next card off the top of his deck. "I place one monster in defense mode, then switch Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) to attack mode."

Aqua Madoor rose from its vortex, a water magician clad in light robes and a mask that hid everything, save for two slits – presumably for eyes – where only red could be seen.

Kyle's eyes narrowed. _That thing's not powerful enough to even take on a Reaper at its own attack rate, much less with a Malevolent Nuzzler attached. He's got a power-up waiting for it._

Kyle's suspicion was confirmed only a second later as Shadi continued, "I activate Megamorph, doubling Aqua Madoor's attack strength."

Beneath the Water-attribute sorcerer there appeared a circle of what appeared to be ancient runes. Those runes began to glow brightly.

"Aqua Madoor, send Reaper of the Cards back to its graveyard."

The magician conjured a tsunami to its aid and called it to crash down upon Reaper, which melted beneath the wave. Kyle's Life Points suffered once more, this time going down to 5250.

"It won't be going by itself," Kyle said. "Activate Michizure."

The now-familiar twin long arms, still fresh in both their minds, extended out of their vortex and waited for Kyle's command.

"Send Aqua Madoor to the graveyard," Kyle commanded.

Obediently, the arms stretched out and grabbed Aqua Madoor around the midsection. The creature squawked as it was pulled into the cavernous vortex, which subsequently disappeared.

_And along with it_, Kyle noted with grim amusement, _the Megamorph card._

Shadi bowed his head. "My turn is ended."

Kyle drew his next card. _Hopefully that'll have kept him at bay for the time being, but this duel has already gone way too long. I have to take him down. Still, I've got no idea what his face-down cards are, and I don't know if I can risk an attack that way. For all I know, he's got a pair of Man-Eater Bugs waiting, and I'm fresh out of Michizures._ "I place one card face-down and one monster in defense mode. That ends my turn."

Shadi selected his next card. "I place one monster in defense mode, then activate Monster Reborn and summon my Queen of Autumn Leaves from the graveyard."

Kyle frowned as the beautiful maiden rose from a vortex on Shadi's field for the second time this duel. _Why that card? It can't take out Hungry Burger, and as far as I can tell, none of the cards on his magic/trap field have the capability to power it up._

"I now reveal my previous two monsters, Queen's Double and Princess of Tsurugi, and place them in attack mode."

_Princess?! That takes out another thousand of my LP!_

Indeed, it did... upon the Princess's summon, another thunderbolt shot straight from her and struck Kyle's barrier, deducting another one thousand Life Points – _down to 4250 now_ – and knocking him to the ground. He scrambled back to his feet, though he could feel the toll the Shadow Game was taking on him, as he felt considerably more sluggish about his scrambling.

_I don't get it. Only Queen of Autumn Leaves has an adequate attack power... the other two stink. Does he have some sort of royalty theme in mind, here?_

**Be wary. He would not summon such a specific combination unless he planned to use it to his advantage, and you know that. Do you know of any magic card that might serve to enhance the powers of royalty?**

Not off the top of my head... not to enhance them, anyway... Kyle's eyes widened. _Oh, no... I know what he's planning, it's an old school ritual... they don't even use this ritual anymore, its result is a normal monster now, but I know this one..._

"And now I shall activate this card: Cosmo Queen's Prayer."

The ritual card, now having been named, disappeared from Shadi's field. The surrounding area darkened, and a bright red point of light appeared between the two fields. From that point of light, there branched out yellow streaks, less intense than the red, but in a specific pattern. A pair of huge green hands appeared in the center of the field and clasped together, as if praying.

The three "royal" cards that Shadi had summoned approached those hands and took position below them. When they halted, they were consumed by three beams of incandescent energy, which then coalesced into one beam and arched back toward Shadi's field. That beam was closely followed by the strange red and yellow light above.

The patterned light settled itself at the top of the ever-shortening energy pillar, which widened out and became bipedal in form. It began to lose its glow, and became revealed for what it truly was.

The creature was robed in emerald and armored in topaz, sporting a gigantic crown of void-black and highlighted with gold, a ruby jewel situated in the center. It was possessed of grayish skin, only the lower face to be seen below the crown, and smooth gray hands that hung at ready-stance.

"Behold the Cosmo Queen (2900/2450)."

_Her attack power's beyond anything I've got in my deck! Good thing I have power-ups, but now the question becomes when they're going to make themselves available. Meantime, I have to worry about my own monsters..._

"Cosmo Queen, attack his Hungry Burger."

Burger gnashed its teeth in defiance, but other than that, there was nothing it could do; Cosmo Queen placed her hands together and uttered a prayer in an unintelligible tongue. The sky itself seemed to respond to the prayer by sending a bolt of pure energy down on Burger, incinerating it completely and taking Kyle's Life Points to 3350.

Kyle felt himself growing much more tired now. He was having trouble keeping focus, having trouble simply keeping his eyes open wide enough to survey Shadi's side of the field. _Must be what he's feeling, too... only I've never done this before, and he probably has. This doesn't bode well..._

**_Have faith. You can still win._**

Sure doesn't look that way from here.

**Looks can be deceiving. You should know that better than anyone.**

Shadi stared straight into Kyle's eyes. "That will end my turn."

"Goody," Kyle muttered, as he drew his next card. He noted in annoyance that his arm was drooping sleepily. He sighed. "I'll end my turn without playing anything."

For the first time, Shadi seemed to allow himself a small smile. "I shall also refrain from playing a card this turn. Cosmo Queen, attack the last monster he played in defense."

Kyle let out a groan as his Muka Muka was blown away. _I couldn't possibly hold enough cards in my hand at once to use Muka Muka to beat Cosmo Queen anyway..._

"It is now your turn."

Kyle clenched his eyes shut. _I could really use something good about now..._

He pulled his next card.

His eyes narrowed.

_Here we go..._

-------

Coming up next: part 2. Coming up right now: your review! I hope...


	41. Duel of Fate II

_A/N: And here comes part 2! Hope you enjoy. And by the way, thanks to Ankhutenshi. You know what for._

Voakands: Well, I could always start making you wait five days again instead of two... hee hee.

Lumen: Well, you wanted it, and so it's here! Hope you enjoy it.

Eusine: I try to keep it realistic. Of course, it's hard to do that when a Shadow Game is involved. And glad you enjoyed the recipe. There're several ritual monsters but that one has to be the most amusing of all of them.

--

Kyle's LP - 3350

Shadi's LP - 2580

--

"I'll play my second Mysterious Puppeteer (1000/1500)," Kyle declared.

The second Mysterious Puppeteer that Kyle possessed appeared on the field. Cosmo Queen dwarfed him by far, yet he still glowered up at her, ready to take whatever she had to dish out. Puppeteer's effect kicked in and afforded Kyle an extra 500 Life Points. _Always carry a spare._

**_Kyle, that is not a particularly wise move._**

If you pay attention, maybe you'll find it's not so unwise.

**I am sure.**

Just watch me work. "Next, since your Ultimate Offering doesn't designate you as the only player privy to its effects, I'll use its power to place Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) and Mystical Elf (800/2000) in defense mode, like this." Kyle placed his two monsters. Spirit of the Harp was a fairy who was gently strumming on a giant harp, while Mystical Elf was a delicate, blue-skinned creature who had her hands clasped together in prayer. _And since Puppeteer's effect gains me 500 LP for every monster played through normal summoning, I don't lose any Life Points from Ultimate Offering. _Kyle grinned, even as the strange alternating sensations of feeling more tired and more energetic washed over him. _You see? Maybe I'm not as foolish as you think._

**_You have still left your Puppeteer open for attack._**

"I'm not done with Ultimate Offering yet," Kyle said aloud. "Now I'll sacrifice my Mystical Elf to set a higher-level monster in defense mode."

As Mystical Elf disappeared, Kyle could feel the drain of Life Points from using Ultimate Offering – he dropped to 3350 once more. _Right... it's not being summoned yet, so it doesn't count for that to Puppeteer, so I don't gain any Life Points..._

He tried to keep his focus. "And finally, I'll sacrifice my Spirit of the Harp and my Mysterious Puppeteer to summon Suijin (2500/2400) in attack mode!"

Both Puppeteer and the face-down monster's vortices merged together, and from that vortex came forth the infamous Labyrinth Brother, Suijin. It looked as if it were a strange creature behind a blue, fluid cloth, trying to push its way through.

**_The effect of your Puppeteer is lost when it goes to the graveyard, Kyle. You will lose five hundred Life Points._**

Kyle grimaced and tried to hold back a yawn as the drain struck him once more. _Cumulatively, I haven't lost all that many Life Points – I'm sitting on 2850 after all that. That's the perk of Mysterious Puppeteer._ He looked up at Suijin. "Suijin, attack his defensive monster!"

A grim smile passed across his features when he saw the monster's silhouette as it was destroyed. _Ryu-Kishin Powered (1600/1200). Shame he didn't put that one into attack mode._ "That'll end my turn."

**_You are running out of cards._**

I know. But I can't very well let him know that, can I?

**You do not need to. The height of your graveyard pile is greater than that of your deck now. I should hope that another saving grace comes your way soon.**

For someone who believes I can still win this duel, you're being awfully pessimistic.

**It is simple math, Kyle. Both of you have been reduced to almost one-quarter of your starting Life Points, and now Shadi bests you in that regard.**

Tell you what. I'll remember that I'm dueling for you if you remember you're rooting for me.

Theoris chose not to respond to this.

Shadi drew his next card. "I shall place one card face-down."

A third vortex in his magic/trap field sprang to existence.

"Cosmo Queen, attack Suijin."

Kyle frowned. _Why is he attacking? Surely he knows about the effects of a Labyrinth Brother._

**If he does not, then I suggest you educate him.**

"Suijin, Tidal Shield!" Kyle commanded.

Obediently, Suijin raised a curtain of water in front of Cosmo Queen's attack, and its jaws opened wide in its preparation for counterattack. "Your Cosmo Queen's attack power is reduced to zero by Suijin's effect," said Kyle, "and so now Suijin gets to take a chunk out of your Life Points!"

"Not quite so," said Shadi. "You activated your monster's effect, which is enough of a trigger for me to activate Waboku."

The well-known squad of spellcasters appeared and blocked Suijin's aquatic counterattack, splitting it in half so that it splashed harmlessly around Shadi's weakened Cosmo Queen.

"The attack factors of our monsters remain unchanged after its activation, but no actual battle damage is dealt to my creatures – therefore my Queen is spared the wrath of your Labyrinth Brother, as are my Life Points."

_He found a way to counter the effect! He must have been waiting for that!_

Shadi nodded slightly, perhaps in triumph. "My turn is ended."

_He's got to know that the Labyrinth Brothers can only do that once during their time on the field. So now Suijin's just another normal monster on my field. Great._

**_You have no hand, Kyle. You will have to trust wholeheartedly in your deck._** **My heart goes with you.**

Kyle drew his next card. When he saw it, he very nearly lost his composure. _You've got to be kidding me! Even if I played this, there's almost no way I could use it before this duel is over!_

**_Play it, anyway. Perhaps it will make him think twice._**

_There's only one way that'll happen._ "I place one magic/trap face-down. Suijin, go to defense mode."

Another magic/trap vortex opened at Kyle's feet, and Suijin took on a more defensive pose. "Your move."

Shadi drew his card swiftly. "I shall not play a card this turn. Cosmo Queen, destroy Suijin."

Kyle shook his head. "Not this turn, Shadi. Activate Castle Walls!"

From one of Kyle's magic/trap vortices sprang up a virtual miniature fortress, which floated towards Suijin and settled itself around the monster. When Cosmo Queen's energy bolt struck, the miniature wall and Suijin shared the hit. The wall was destroyed, but Suijin was not.

**_The boost to defense was just enough to stop Cosmo Queen's attack._**

That card's been waiting a long time. I'm glad it had its moment. It's a shame you were wrong about him thinking twice, though.

"My turn ends now," said Shadi, who again nodded in approval of Kyle's strategy.

Kyle drew his next card. His eyes narrowed. "I'll place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Shadi drew. "I shall place one monster in defense mode. Cosmo Queen, I again urge you to destroy Suijin."

Kyle's face split into a wide grin. "Once again, Shadi, you're not paying attention. Activate The Reliable Guardian."

Another one of Kyle's magic/trap vortices opened, and a wide silver shield burst forth from it and totally occluded Suijin from the incoming attack.

"Now Suijin's defense is up to 3100, so this time, it'll cost you two hundred Life Points for that attack," said Kyle. "But considering how many you had before, it shouldn't be too hard a hit."

Shadi blew a breath of exasperation out his nose as his LP sank to 2380. Obviously he was getting tired of Suijin's continued presence on the field. "Very well. It is your turn."

"Indeed," said Kyle, drawing his next card. _He's spending so much time worrying about Suijin that he's all but forgotten I've got other monsters on the field._ "I'll play one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

Shadi drew. "I shall also place one magic/trap face-down, and then equip Cosmo Queen with the Black Pendant."

One of Shadi's magic/trap vortices spewed forth a beautiful pendant with a sharply cut obsidian in the center. The necklace wrapped itself around Cosmo Queen's neck, increasing its attack power to 3400.

"Cosmo Queen, once more, attack Suijin."

Kyle sighed as Suijin was blasted from the field. _You did well, Suijin. I'll make sure I win this._

"It is now your turn."

Kyle clenched his eyes shut and drew his next card. _It might be my last..._

He pulled it in front of him and opened his eyes.

_Yes!_

"I'll play Torike (1200/600) in attack mode," he announced, trying to keep his composure. "And on top of that, I'll switch Black Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800) and Feral Imp (1300/1400) to attack mode."

One by one, the announced monsters sprang up. Torike, the first, manifested in the form of a small, greenish dragon without wings.

Next was Black Dragon Jungle King, also a dragon without wings, and by far the strongest of the announced monsters. It lunged forth and roared a foreboding roar.

Finally was Feral Imp. It whined out its battle cry, eager to take on any opponent.

"And now I'll activate Curse of Tri-Horned Dragon!"

The magic/trap vortex on Kyle's right floated out to meet the three monsters he'd just summoned to the field, and it widened exponentially. The vortex swallowed them, then changed colors... from an indigo color to a shade of red more suited for blood.

In the center of the vortex, there arose a creature of absolutely gargantuan proportions. It possessed an elongated head, bony spikes along its spine, razored talons for fingers and toes, and a grin that could parallel those of demons. Three massive horns adorned the top of its equally massive head. It glowed an aqua shade.

As the creature came into existence, Kyle felt a huge drain, and he staggered in an attempt to keep his balance. He clutched his head. _This is another old school ritual; the drain's got to be the stress of creating a new monster like this one..._

**It is. Your power will return with time.**

Kyle looked down at his board. Sure enough, there floated a normal monster card of the eighth level.

He looked back up at Shadi. "And there you have it: Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode."

"It is fitting that the owner of an unworthy Millennium item is also the owner of an unworthy dragon," Shadi uttered.

"True, when compared to Cosmo Queen, it's not the best monster on the field. But it's not so unworthy," said Kyle, "when I activate Reverse Trap and take her attack power down to 2400."

Shadi's eyes grew wide. He had not anticipated this, and now there was nothing he could do.

The imp that they had seen once before again appeared to antagonize the guardian of the Millennium items. It passed straight through Cosmo Queen, robbing her of her necklace.

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack Cosmo Queen!"

Tri-Horned Dragon stomped forward, not to be stopped by anything. It raised its massive claws over its head and brought them down, slashing straight through Cosmo Queen. Novas of energy expanded from where the dragon's claws had touched, and Cosmo Queen barely had time enough to scream before she was destroyed.

A great blast of energy blew out from the center of the field, washing over Kyle and Shadi both. Due to Black Pendant's effect, Kyle's Life Points dropped to 2350 as it went to the graveyard... but meantime, Shadi's Life Points were sinking to 1930.

Silence reigned over the field for a moment.

Then Kyle grinned.

"Your move."

Shadi pulled his next card. "I shall place one monster in defense mode and activate the magic of Swords of Revealing Light!"

"Shouldn't have bothered," Kyle answered, even as the blazing swords began to settle across the vortices on his field. "Your Swords do more than just pin my monsters, they reveal any hidden ones. And you've now revealed my Weather Report (950/1500). Unfortunately for you, its effect means that your Swords of Revealing Light are destroyed, and next turn, each of my monsters will be able to attack twice."

The swords shattered as soon as Weather Report – a creature resembling a snowman bearing an umbrella – emerged from its vortex. Ridiculous though it may have appeared, it was precisely what Kyle had needed in this instance.

_Knew I had that one for a reason._

Shadi's head hung. "That will end my turn, then."

Kyle almost felt sympathetic to the man. After all, he was doing his duty.

_But that's exactly what the German officers said at the Nuremburg trials. It's never been an acceptable excuse since then. And I'm not going to let it be one now. He wanted a duel to the end, and that's what he's going to get._

Kyle drew his next card. _Perfect._ "I'll sacrifice Weather Report to play Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode."

The golem rose from what was previously Weather Report's vortex as Weather Report vanished from view.

"Golem, attack the monster he played last turn!"

Kyle's monster raced forward and punched down into that monster's vortex – a monster in a chef's uniform, with a hook for one hand, and bearing a long blade in its other. _The Bistro Butcher (1800/1000)_, Kyle noted. "Now, Tri-Horned Dragon, attack his other monster!"

Tri-Horned Dragon stomped forth again and crushed the vortex underfoot.

_Banisher of the Light (100/2000). Meant more for defense than anything else. And now for the second attack..._

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack his Life Points!"

Tri-Horned advanced on Shadi, who let his head hang in defeat. It crashed across the field, roaring loudly, and stomped down on its foe.

The stomp broke through the barrier.

Shadi cried out from the pain of losing the barrier, tied directly to his life force.

For a split-instant, Kyle was sure that the dragon was going to kill Shadi.

_No... Don't kill him..._

Tri-Horned Dragon's foot hovered just centimeters over Shadi, whose eyes were closed. It appeared as though he was ready to accept death at Kyle's beckon.

Kyle hesitated... then pulled his cards off the "board" and out of his graveyard, returning them all to his deck.

Millennium Golem and Tri-Horned Dragon disappeared.

The symbol in the center of the Millennium Shield -- the Eye of Horus -- glowed a bright yellow. The glow washed over Kyle, Shadi, and the entire Shadow Realm in which they'd dueled.

Kyle was standing on the sidewalk outside his apartment complex. Shadi lay on the ground mere feet from him.

The Egyptian stared at Kyle, who remained where he was. "Why did you not let your dragon kill me?"

"There's no point in killing you. It's against my ethics," Kyle responded. "You're the guardian of the Millennium items. You're too important to the balance to be destroyed. And I don't take us to be enemies. Why would I wish any ill on someone who isn't my enemy?"

Shadi got to his feet. "Then the shield is in capable hands. The duel is over. You have won. You are the shield's rightful owner and shall remain so. However, you must remain wary now. I warn you that those who wish to claim the Millennium Shield as their own will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. You are in danger; more importantly, the shield is in danger. I fear this is only the beginning of your true trials."

Kyle watched the Egyptian for a moment. "I'll be ready," he said simply.

"For your sake... I would hope so."

Shadi turned and walked up the sidewalk.

Kyle looked through his deck. _These really did help me out, in a big way..._

Then he noticed something odd.

The Tri-Horned Dragon card was there.

And missing from his deck was his Curse of Tri-Horned Dragon ritual.

He looked up to find Shadi, curious about what had happened...

But Shadi was already gone.


	42. Hunted I

_A/N: Okay, so since everyone was curious about where the ritual card went, I'll insert a little background for you: in the YGO game Forbidden Memories, to perform a ritual, you'd have to have three specific monsters on your field in order to bring out the ritual monster (which actually was not present within the deck). Once the ritual was performed, the cards used to perform it would vanish, leaving the brand-new monster behind only for as long as the duel played out. And now that you know that, on to Chapter 42! Big thanks go to Ankhutenshi for her help on this one... as always, she's a huge inspiration to me._

Skraku: Oh, you think that was an interesting twist, eh? Just wait 'til you see what's coming!

Wolfwings: Look down... and a little bit up... and you'll find out!

Mira: As always, glad I could entertain you. Hope you like what's up next!

Monica: Good to know you're enjoying. And you'll see for yourself, have no fear.

Eusine: Who says addiction is bad? Onward and upward!

-------

Kyle headed back into his apartment with a frown on his face and his apparently brand-new Tri-Horned Dragon card in hand. _How could this have happened?_ he wondered. _I thought Tri-Horned Dragon was an old ritual monster._

**Apparently it is. But I seem to recall that you once saw a Tri-Horned Dragon card being sold for what you believed was an outrageously high amount of currency, and that card showed a normal monster.**

Is this thing even genuine, though?

**The powers of the Shadow Realm are vast. I believe it could have been made to become genuine. And if not, then the guardian afforded the card to you by some unknown means.**

Very strange, indeed. Kyle shrugged. _Well, it's going into my deck; that much is for certain. Besides the Blue-Eyes card I gave to Monica, I've never had a monster with such high attack power before. I may need it._

**_For what? Another tournament?_**

Possibly. Or if Jade comes knocking on my door. She's bound to have seen the duel between me and Madison. She had to have seen it; she was there. So now she knows that I have two Labyrinth Brothers hiding away in my deck. It'll be to my advantage if she doesn't know about Tri-Horned Dragon. He smirked. _Better not tell Monica, either… I think she'd get jealous. She doesn't have one of these._

**_Kyle…_**

Kyle frowned, noticing the "tone" Theoris had taken. _What's wrong?_

**Nothing is, now… I owe you a debt of gratitude I wish I had a body to repay. You fought the guardian to save me from certain destruction. We both know you would have done no such thing for your family; that you would consider me worth fighting for…**

He grinned. "Oh, now don't you start getting mushy on me," he said aloud. "It's because of you all this good stuff has happened to me, and you know it. If anything, the debt to repay was, and still is mine."

**_Kyle… I believe the time for action against the magicians is approaching. And soon._**

What makes you say that?

**Your likeness has been seen by many people now, and along with it, the Millennium Shield. The guardian saw it; so have others seen it. The magicians' force permeates this strange world still, and I find it very likely they will eventually realize that you are the one who carries the shield.**

Do you expect me to do something about it?

**You must be on your guard now, more than ever. Do not expect any mercy from them when they come.**

You make it sound inevitable.

**It is. You have only one choice – and one choice is no choice at all. You must fight them when they come. You must hold them off with all the strength you can muster.**

This from the man who ran away from the magicians both times he encountered them, Kyle thought bitterly.

**_…Kyle…_**

He sighed. _I'm sorry, Theoris. But I'm not quite sure how you expect me to live up to all this. Beyond the duel with Shadi, I've never dealt with magic before. I need to learn about what options I have before I face this old enemy._

**In that case, I shall teach you everything I know about the Millennium Shield. And hopefully, you will be able to unlock new abilities with time and practice. It is time for you to know everything.**

--

And so it was that at night, while Kyle slept, Theoris would impart his knowledge to the young man who had now become his charge. Theoris taught Kyle everything he knew of the magicians, of the other Millennium items, and of the powers he had found within the shield. He even showed Kyle the styles of combat to be used with bladed weaponry, such as knives, swords, and scimitars, in conjunction with a shield. These dreams/memories were so powerful that they became etched into Kyle's mind, unable to be ejected even if he tried to do so.

And if the magicians were coming, he didn't much want to.

During the day, he searched for a job in writing, though he was rather lazy about the search after winning all the money he'd won from the Madison tournament. On the Net, he continued to find spreading rumors of an elite Duel Monsters tournament being set up in Japan. So far, however, nothing had popped up in the news to substantiate the rumors… thus they remained only rumors.

Nothing new came of Kyle's search for Gate Guardian. He wasn't particularly discouraged; he knew a card as rare as that would likely be virtually impossible to find. He continued to converse with Chubs over Instant Messenger programs; his former teacher was getting a good deal of publicity himself back in Indiana, and meanwhile he was continuing to push for an increase in duelist rank high enough to earn a right to practically any Duel Monsters tournament out there.

Meanwhile, Monica had left Oregon for a few days on a flight to Washington, D.C., where (she claimed) she was going to meet with a political action committee on possibly doing public service announcements. Kyle advised her to push hard for it; most duelists in the nation knew her name – if from nothing else, the Favorites charts on American Duel Monsters tournament brackets.

Kyle still wasn't applying all that many changes to his dueling deck just yet, although everyone around him encouraged he do so, and especially in that instance when he lost a match against a local opponent. Usually the opponent would then laugh in victory and pump his fists, claiming he beat the Madison tourney champion, and "Maybe I should've gotten an invitation!"

_I'll change it around… when I feel like it._

And that was when trouble winged his way.

--

One Week Later

--

Kyle left his apartment and mounted his motorcycle. _Need to pick up a few books, may as well do it today._

He made for the southwest corner of the campus, where the bookstore was located... not to mention one of his favorite pizza joints. He grinned as he passed the place. _Gonna make sure to grab something on the way back._

He took a right turn and passed a small park. There were several people there; some mothers with their kids on the equipment, some people taking walks, some on benches...

His eyes narrowed when he saw one of the people in that last category. It seemed like every time he saw her, she had a different book in her hands, and today was no exception.

I guess she wanted me to spot her.

What do you mean?

Every time I see her, I end up going over to talk to her. And every time I talk to her, the subject of me "spotting her" comes up. She tells me that if she doesn't want me to spot her, I won't be able to... but that when I do see her, it's because she wants it. Or finds it convenient.

Does that mean she wishes you to approach her?

Only one way to find out. Haven't talked to her in a while. But I'd best be on my guard; now I've got two Labyrinth Brothers, and as far as I know, she's still only got one. She wants the set.

Kyle parked in a convenient spot, got off his bike, and went over to meet her. She raised her eyes before he got to close to her. "Good morning."

Kyle snapped off a mock salute. "And to you. Mind if I have a seat?"

Jade made a show of considering it. "I suppose not," she answered after a moment, moving over to the end of the bench to give him room.

Kyle offered a wry grin. "Yeah, sure, think about it. As I recall, you don't much like it when I'm standing over you." Nevertheless, he sat down.

"Did you know your favorite pizza place has a special on today?" she asked out of the blue. "Buy two slices, get one free?"

Kyle cocked his head. "Thanks for the heads-up, I'm kinda hungry."

****

How did she know that was your favorite place?

She knows a lot about me. It's creepy.

That goes without saying.

"So what are you up to today?"

"Book hunting," Kyle answered. "New class schedule's creeping up on me. Not that I really need them quite yet, but it's good to get a jump on the subject matter and get ahead... wouldn't you agree?"

"Always a good strategy," Jade agreed. "But that wasn't quite what I meant."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "I know. I'm just pretending I've got no idea what you're talking about."

"You're not doing a very good job of it," Jade responded blandly. Her tone perked, though, on her next words. "How would you feel about holding off on the book-buying and the pizza for a little while?"

"I'm not sure I really want to. Hunger and a thirst for knowledge usually take precedence for me these days."

"Not even for a duel? The platform at the duelist center downtown is open," she said confidently.

Kyle rocked his head to one side. "Knew it. You're actively after my Labyrinth Brothers now."

"Yes, I want them. And you did say that once you had something of equal value, you'd duel me. Now you've got _two_ somethings of equal value, so I'd say we're long overdue for our match. Don't tell me you forgot, and don't try to back out of your promise now." Jade's tone had an undercurrent of bitterness to it – Kyle attributed that to her absence in the Madison tournament.

He crossed his arms. "No, I haven't forgotten. So now you consider me a serious challenge?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be challenging you, would I?"

"I suppose not." He eyed her with a mixture of amusement and suspicion. "So this means I've got a chance of winning, huh?"

"Come now," she said, pretending to be dismayed. "Sanga and Suijin are yours now. What's my single Kazejin got on that?"

Kyle grinned wryly, the second occurrence since he'd approached her. "Nice try. I know better. But I remember the promise. I won't back out."

She tucked her book back into her bag and stood. "Like I said, the platform is empty at the moment."

"Need transportation?"

Jade looked somewhat surprised at the offer. "Sure," she answered.

Kyle mounted his motorcycle and activated the engine, which virtually roared to life. He looked to her apologetically. "Loud, I know, sorry."

She grinned. "Apologize to the people who are still trying to sleep at this hour, not to me."

He scoffed as she mounted the cycle behind him, then took off for the duelist center.

--

The platform was an indoors affair, like most of the other public platforms were. It was too much hassle to maintain the platforms after inclement weather, and maintenance workers would surely be horrified at the amount of graffiti kids would have been likely to spray on the sides... assuming they couldn't get to the duelist platforms.

A bored receptionist looked up at the two duelists through half-lidded eyes and pointed at the sign over her head which listed the entry fees. Kyle handed over the money without question.

She handed Kyle a pair of ID bracelets meant to confirm they'd paid for a dueling session. "The platform is all the way down that hall."

Kyle nodded. "Thanks." He handed Jade one of the bracelets.

She took it wordlessly and snapped it around her wrist. They made it about halfway down the hall before she said, "Why'd you pay for me too?"

"Courtesy," he responded. He looked back at her. "Just thought I'd do something nice for somebody, for once. You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind? No. Hardly. Curious as to why the sudden burst of generosity on your part? Yes."

Kyle shrugged. "There's no reason why I shouldn't be generous. I've got money."

Jade looked at him as though she were going to say something, but evidently decided not to in the end.

When they entered the expansive, sunlit room where the platform was located, Kyle gestured grandly. "Take your pick."

"Sure." Jade walked towards the blue end and stepped onto the platform. She pressed the button on the edge of the console; the section raised so that she was overlooking the field. These were a newer style holo-platform, and included an automatic shuffler, so she placed her deck in the slot and listened as it whirred smoothly as she watched him.

Kyle stepped onto the red platform, rose to the overhanging position, and inserted his deck into the auto-shuffler as well.

****

Be cautious.

Duh.

"Duh"?

...Never mind.

Jade's deck reappeared from the shuffler a few seconds later, and she drew five cards. "As I challenged you, you choose whether to go first or second."

Kyle chewed his lip for a moment, then said, "I'll go second. What're your stakes?"

"My Kazejin versus your Sanga."

He narrowed his eyes. "And what if I were to propose Suijin instead?"

"Not good enough."

He sighed. "Fine. But we're playing by Kaiba's sacrifice rules, four thousand Life Points."

"All right," she nodded, agreeing to his terms. "I draw." She looked at her opening hand before announcing, "I place two cards face-down and Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode. End of my turn."

He raised an eyebrow as he drew. "I also place two cards face-down, and one monster face-down. That'll finish my turn."

Jade drew her next card. "I activate my face-down trap card, Solemn Wishes. Starting next turn, every time I draw a card, my Life Points increase by 500. Vailo, attack his face-down monster!"

Kyle flipped over one of his face-down m/t cards. "Activate Enchanted Javelin." He grinned at Jade as his Life Points rose. "You're not the only one who's good at increasing your LP."

"I still get to see your monster," Jade said with a shrug.

"True," Kyle responded. His grin didn't disappear as he flipped his monster card face-up. "Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) stays on the field. I assume you know its effect, being the expert you are."

Jade nodded and put her Maha Vailo back into her hand, as her Life Points descended to 3700. "I do. I'll finish my turn by playing one monster face-down." She set a card and it's holographic representation appeared, designated by a blinking rectangle on her field.

Kyle drew his next card and considered it a moment. "All right, I play Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) in attack mode!"

"Activate Trap Hole," Jade announced.

Kyle sighed and watched the dramatic holographic representation of the play as Neo hit the field and then was swallowed up by a crag that spontaneously appeared under him. He discarded the monster. "Too bad. But you're down one Trap Hole. End turn."

"I draw," she said... "And my LP increase by 500. And then I flip my face-down, another Maha Vailo, into attack mode."

"Two can play at your game of Trap Holes," said Kyle, as he flipped his other face-down m/t.

Unlike Kyle had done, Jade smirked when her Vailo disappeared. "Was waiting for that. I replay the Vailo you returned to my hand in attack mode, and equip it with Malevolent Nuzzler for an extra 700 attack points. Because of its effect, it's quite the bonus. (2750/1400)."

"True," he conceded. "But if you attack Wall of Illusion, it won't keep that effect for long."

"I'm not attacking this turn. Your Wall is meager defense with a semi-decent effect. I can wait. Your turn."

Kyle scoffed at the barb as he drew. "Insult it all you like, it's still a thorn in anyone's side. I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Jade drew her next card and didn't hesitate in setting it into play, even before her Solemn Wishes was finished adding another 500 to her LP. "I play my Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode. It's strong enough to take out your Wall while leaving my powered-up Vailo on the field. Twins," she chuckled, looking at the holographic siblings, "Tear down his Wall, wouldn't you?"

Kyle chewed the inside of his cheek as the twin elves attacked Wall of Illusion. The wall fell apart on the field, and Kyle discarded it. Jade collected her card from the field and the siblings disappeared. "And I'll have my Vailo attack your face-down."

Kyle flipped his face-down and subsequently discarded it. "Big Eye (1200/1000) is destroyed, but now I get to arrange my next five turns. Won't that be a joy."

"If you think it'll help." Jade smirked. "Once you're done with your deck, my turn is over."

Kyle nodded once in affirmation, then drew his next card. "I play the magic card Fissure to destroy Maha Vailo."

A crevice opened up beneath Jade's Vailo and it dropped from view without a sound. Jade looked only mildly annoyed.

"Then I place one monster face-down and end my turn." The look on Kyle's face was one of satisfaction.

"I'll pay 500 LP to put Nuzzler back on the top of my deck, as per its effect," Jade said, placing it as indicated. "But since I get 500 points per turn anyway for drawing, it really didn't cost me a thing."

"True enough."

"Then I draw," she said, "And play Graceful Charity. Which is another 500 LP, giving me 5200."

Kyle rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. _Every time she draws, she gets stronger, and she has more of a chance to win._

"I choose to discard Black Pendant and..." She paused, obviously not sure what else she wanted to throw away for Charity's effect. "And my Dark Magician," she said finally, putting the two cards in the graveyard.

Kyle cocked his head. _Dark Magician? That probably means she's got something worse in mind. That doesn't bode well._

"Then," she smiled grimly, "I play Dark Hole."

"Oy," Kyle groaned. There was nothing he could do but discard his Spirit of the Harp. _Empty field means direct attack!_

"Gemini Elf in attack mode!" The siblings reappeared on the empty field, staring at Kyle. "And I'll put my recovered Malevolent Nuzzler to good use," she added, and a green skinned woman with a vertical eye on her forehead appeared between the twins, smiling seductively. "That's 2600 direct damage. Attack!"

Kyle's station bucked under the attack, and he instinctively grabbed for the railing. "Agh... the effects are almost too realistic for my tastes."

"I'll finish my turn by putting this into play: Gravekeeper's Servant," Jade said, setting the magic card next to her Solemn Wishes. "Every time you attack, you discard from the top of your deck. That ought to wear you down fast."

"I might consider it if any of my monsters were strong enough to fight back," Kyle muttered.

"That," Jade replied loftily, "is not my problem. End turn."

_I don't have any monsters in my deck with a defense that high, and I can't attack without losing something! She's got me bogged down in every aspect! How am I supposed to beat that?_

He drew his next card, his eyes clenched shut. _Give me a winner..._

-------

Next up: Can Kyle beat Jade at a game she plays even better than Madison? Stay tuned! And review if the spirit so moves you to do so!


	43. Hunted II

_A/N: Chapter 43 is here! Who'd have thought the story would be this long? Not even yours truly thought that! Goes to show how wrong even the author can be, doesn't it? And with that, enjoy the chapter!_

Mira: Well, in that case, I hope you don't mind if I explain. Jade pulled back Gemini Elf because of Wall of Illusion's special effect -- any monster that attacks it is automatically returned to its owner's hand. Thus she was able to replay it after Dark Hole. As to Kyle... well, he's not quite Yugi, but he's got faith. Read on and see what happens!

Eusine: That he could; after all, he knows everything that Kyle knows about Duel Monsters, which may be useful in the future. As to the present... well, take a look!

Many more thanks to Ankhutenshi. Once more, you know why.

-------

Kyle's LP - 2950

Jade's LP - 5200

--

Kyle opened his eyes, glimpsed the card he'd just drawn, then – with great relief – announced, "I play Swords of Revealing Light!"

A series of swords comprised of blinding light stabbed down from above and pinned the Gemini Elves, as well as their Malevolent Nuzzler equipment; the trio hissed indignantly.

"You're pinned for three turns. Now I'll place one monster face-down and end my turn."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Running scared? How very convenient."

"Keep talking," Kyle snorted. "We can dispute Dark Hole for a while."

"How about... no. Mine was strategic, yours is desperate. I'll play one card face-down. End turn."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "You'd do it, too, if you were in my position." He drew. "Another monster face-down, and my turn's finished."

"Which I'm not. I draw." Jade countered. Her LP scrolled up again. 6200. "Thanks for the opportunity to amp up my LP," she said conversationally. "End of my turn."

"No problem," he scoffed, as he drew. "One more face-down, and end turn." _This is the last turn the Swords are in effect... let's hope I get a winner next turn..._

"My turn again," she said, watching her LP counter. "What, no counter-traps in that whole deck?" She laughed.

"Counter-traps would do no good now, Solemn Wishes is active," Kyle retorted.

She drew and laughed. "You're right, of course, but you must be getting frustrated by now. And if you aren't, you will be now. I just drew Pot of Greed, which I'll activate to draw two more cards!"

Kyle crossed his arms. "Your Life Points will go back down, it'll just take a little longer."

"We'll see. You've got lots of tribute fodder on your field, let's see what you do with it now. End turn." The Swords disappeared from the field and freed the trio on Jade's side. Kyle drew his next card.

"One more monster face-down, and end turn. Not only are they tribute fodder," he remarked, "they're great as hidden effect monsters."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. I draw."

Kyle had to chuckle. "Bring it on. You're the one that wanted to duel."

"My Gemini Elves, attack his left-center face down monster!" The twin elves leaped forward and blasted twin energy beams at Kyle's left-center face-down, the Nuzzler ever at their side. Kyle's Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) appeared for a brief instant and then was destroyed in a shower of holographic broken glass. Kyle discarded the monster wordlessly, and Jade looked fondly at her trio as she said, "End turn."

Kyle afforded his opponent a single flickering glance before he drew his next card. "Another monster face-down, and end turn."

"Boring," Jade said witheringly. "I draw." Her LP scrolled to 7700.

"Bah." Kyle waved his hand at her in a dismissive manner.

"Hmm," Jade said. "Elves, attack the monster he just played." They sprang forward again, and Kyle's Mysterious Puppeteer (1000/1500) was destroyed in the blink of an eye. When the attack was finished, Jade added, "Since I don't think it'll be even remotely useful this game, I discard Megamorph to keep to the card limit. End turn."

Kyle drew his next card and snorted. "You might have reconsidered that maneuver. You want an interesting game, here's something that'll keep your interest." He placed a magic card face-up. "I play Change of Heart." Jade wrinkled her nose as the childlike, half-angel, half-demon possessed her Elves, taking the Nuzzler with her.

Kyle chewed his lip for a moment. "Not sure about attacking with your Servant in play... but on the other hand, if I want low LP, this is about the only way to do it. Gemini Elves, attack Jade's Life Points!"

"Discard first," Jade reminded him.

Kyle obeyed. "Black Dragon Jungle King goes to the grave."

"Now," Jade said, satisfied, "I activate Mirror Wall. The 2600 is cut into 1300, and that barely touches me."

Kyle shrugged. "It still takes you down. I'm satisfied with that. But before I finish my turn, I'm going to make it a little harder on you and sacrifice your Elves in order to place another monster face-down."

That got a reaction, and Jade scowled fiercely at him, though he didn't respond to the scowl. He simply smiled. "End turn."

"I draw," she said shortly. Her LP became 6900. "And since I don't want to pay 2000 LP to keep Mirror Wall around, it goes to the graveyard. I'll play one monster face-down, and one face-down card as well. Your turn."

Kyle drew, his stroke somewhat more confident now that the twins were out of the picture. "I'll end my turn without playing a card," he said.

"I draw." She did so. "Let's see what you've got hidden on your field." Jade said, and flipped her face-down monster. "I call The Stern Mystic (1500/1200) into attack mode!"

Kyle shrugged slightly and flipped each of his monsters face-up. The field revealed The Forgiving Maiden (850/2000), Catapult Turtle (1000/2000), Mystical Elf (800/2000), and Shining Abyss (1600/1800). "Your face-down gets revealed to me, as well," Kyle noted.

Jade laughed. "Sure does." She showed the one face down card on her back row, and it was the trap card Dark Spirit of the Silent. "All right, I'll admit though. Catapult Turtle was not what I expected to see under there. But I'll play my own Change of Heart on it. C'mere, Turtle."

Kyle rocked his head to one side as he turned his monsters face-down again, as per Mystic's effect. "Got a use for my Turtle, do you?"

"Hey, it's your monster, you know it's effect. I'll power up my Mystic with a Book of Secret Arts, for another 300 attack points, and then sacrifice it for Catapult Turtle's effect – of which I'm sure you're aware – to inflict 900 damage directly to your Life Points."

Kyle shrugged as his Life Points lost 900, giving him 2050. "Not really a big deal, but if you insist..."

"Mmm, yes... I do insist. I'll finish by playing Monster Reborn on my Blue Dark Magician (2500/2100)," Jade said, and with a swirl of light, the aforementioned sorcerer appeared in a battle stance on her field.

"Oh, great," Kyle muttered.

"Blue Dark Magician, attack his Forgiving Maiden!"

The sorcerer pointed his staff and the field flashed negative colors in the monster's trademark attack.

"You can have your Turtle back, since my turn is finished," Jade said generously.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Thanks." He drew. "One monster face-down, and I switch Turtle to defense mode. That ends my turn."

"I draw." She eyed his field. "For all the good it does. Magician, take out the Catapult Turtle." Catapult Turtle vanished under the hailstorm of negative light. "End turn."

Kyle drew. "One monster face-down, end turn."

"And your last decent defense by the looks of it," Jade noted. "Magician, his Mystical Elf, if you would." Like Catapult Turtle before her, Mystical Elf was likewise annihilated by Jade's Dark Magician. "End of my turn."

Kyle pulled his next card and rolled his eyes as he did so. _She's toying with me now... _"I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

"I draw." Jade smirked. "I sure hope these LP counters go into five digits."

"Soon enough, you'll just have to worry about keeping yours in the triple digits," Kyle remarked.

Jade raised her eyebrow. "So says you. Your dueling so far hasn't given me anything to that impression yet, though. Maybe it's a fluke that you hold two Labyrinth Brothers after all. I play one card face down." She set a card on her magic/trap field, and smiled. "And end turn."

Kyle snorted. "Oh, yeah? Then why keep your eye on me all this time? I told you once before you wouldn't want to duel a weakling. Maybe your 'fluke', then, is that you've gotten an array of goodies while my deck has preferred to hold back its own." He drew. "I'll hang on to this one and end my turn."

"Like I said, we'll see. So far, you're all defense and luck. That's going to change right now. I draw…. and summon White Magical Hat (1000/700) to the field in attack mode!"

Kyle raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She continued, "And I equip him with the Axe of Despair, for an extra 1000 attack points." A gleaming axe appeared in the spellcaster's hand, looking slightly out of place with the stage-magician costume the monster wore. "And he will attack your center face down."

Kyle's Shining Abyss emitted a sharp squeal as White Magical Hat's attack split it in two.

"And my Magician will attack your right-hand monster."

Kyle's Hayabusa Knight became the third to fall before Dark Magician's attack.

"End turn," Jade said, pleased.

Kyle harrumphed as he drew his next card. He beheld it for a moment or two, then placed it on the field. "I place one monster face-down and end my turn. I promise it'll pique your curiosity, no matter what you may think of my dueling skills, or lack thereof."

"I draw. One more, and we'll hit those five digits. Has this become annoying yet?" She chuckled. "I hope so. Dark Magician, attack his first face down!"

Kyle smirked. "Not going for it? You'll have to, eventually, or I will. For now..." Kyle's Maha Vailo was revealed a moment before it shattered under the attack.

Jade looked slightly startled at seeing a Maha Vailo fall under her own attack, even if it wasn't her monster. But she masked her feelings after only a brief second. "True, but you could be bluffing," she said contemplatively. "My White Magical Hat attacks your little hidden surprise."

"No bluffs here," Kyle said, "but I don't want my little friend destroyed just yet... so I'll activate Reverse Trap. It reverses all additions/subtractions to attack/defense factors. Instead of 2000 ATK, your Hat now has 0."

"You're not going to have a choice." Jade's hand darted to her own field and turned over the card she had played last turn. "Counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit to knock off your Reverse Trap's effect." A thousand of Jade's LP vanished.

Kyle bit his lip in annoyance. "Fine, so destroy it. It's a flip effect, anyway." Kyle's Magician of Faith (300/400) appeared from underneath its card for a moment, but cowered under White Magical Hat's blow and shattered like so much glass.

"True. Pick your magic card, and get on with it."

"I know just the card I want," Kyle said, and with that, he selected his Swords of Revealing Light card.

Jade rolled her eyes. "End turn."

Kyle drew, and smirked at his opponent. "I'm confident for a reason, Jade. But of course, why bother just saying it? You're tired of that. So I'll show you, and with a card you've played once already." He placed a magic card on the field whose picture was black as space, save for a ball of white in the center.

Jade gave him a funny look as the spatial vortex of his Dark Hole sucked away her two monsters, but said nothing.

"And to follow through, I play La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (1800/1000) in attack mode." Kyle picked up a card from the top of his deck and put it in his graveyard, to follow the effects laid out by Gravekeeper's Servant. "I discard Judge Man (2200/1500). La Jinn, attack her Life Points!"

Jade's platform mimicked the sensation of being struck, but it stopped after a few seconds and she again said nothing. Kyle stared resolutely across the field. "I end my turn."

"I draw," Jade said, and her Solemn Wishes replaced a portion of what had been taken, giving her 7600. "I place two magic/traps and a monster face down. End of my turn."

"Goody." Kyle drew. "I place one magic/trap and discard..." Kyle drew the next card and shrugged. "Black Pendant in order for La Jinn to attack your face-down."

"Activate Negate Attack."

Kyle harrumphed. "End turn."

"I draw, and place a second monster face down. End of my turn."

"Now who's got the boring game going?" Kyle admonished. "One monster face-down, and I discard The Stern Mystic to have La Jinn attack the face-down you just played."

A woman in dark maroon robes and surrounded by flames appeared for an instant before the Fire Sorcerer was destroyed. "I'll use her effect and discard two cards from my hand to inflict 800 point direct damage to your LP."

A bolt of fiery lightning lanced out and struck his platform. Kyle's Life Point counters descended to 1250, while Jade's remained at 8100.

Kyle hummed. "End turn. Nasty little surprise."

Jade chuckled. "Yes, well, she's very good at surprises, isn't she? I draw, and play another monster face down, end turn. Now, what other surprises are hiding beneath, do you think?"

"Wouldn't need to think about it, necessarily," Kyle answered, slipping the next card from his deck. "I do have my Swords card, after all. On the other hand, I can wait. You always decide when the appropriate time is to show yourself... I'll bet the same is true for your cards. You don't want me to see them yet, and to avoid nasty effects like that, as well as losing any more good cards to your Gravekeeper's Servant, I think I'll pass on the attack and just place one monster face-down. That ends my turn."

"I draw," Jade said, and her LP escalated to 8600. "You should have attacked. Now you've let me get enough tributes on the field to summon, and what a summon she will be. I sacrifice Nemuriko (800/700) and my last Maha Vailo to bring Cosmo Queen (2900/2450) to the field in attack mode!"

Jade's Nemuriko and Maha Vailo shimmered on the field for a brief second before fading away. In their place rose a gargantuan female Duel Monster, one that seemed to hold dominion over the entire platform. Though she was a hologram, her very presence demanded respect, and her image oozed charisma from every illusory pore.

She wore a robe of crimson and black, and a massive cylindrical crown adorned her head, so low that it almost covered her eyes. Her eyes were still very much visible, however, from under the dark shadows cast by the crown; they glowed a bright red. Her hands were clasped together, as if in prayer. Her outline shimmered with a soft red aura.

Kyle let out an annoyed grunt and scratched his temple absently, recalling his recent duel with Shadi. "Impressive, Jade. But old hat."

"There'll be nothing 'old hat' about her when she wins me this duel. Cosmo Queen! La Jinn demands your attention," she laughed.

Cosmo Queen's hands pressed more tightly together, the interlaced fingers pressing harder against each other, and she muttered a prayer in a foreign tongue. A bluish globe of energy appeared before her, and lightning struck the globe from all points on the platform.

The globe streaked forward and struck La Jinn squarely in the chest, and the green genie exploded in a hail of sparks.

Kyle pursed his lips as he discarded the now useless La Jinn. "I may be down, but I'm not out yet."

Even Jade seemed impressed with the visual effects of her most powerful Duel Monster. "Not yet," she agreed, "but not long now. End turn."

Kyle drew his next card. "It'll take a while yet, though. Should've used this when I had the chance... too late to worry about it now. I can still save myself. Activate Swords of Revealing Light. Then I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

"I draw…. hmmm," she said, looking at the card. "This'll do. I place one card face down and end my turn."

Kyle drew and scoffed. "About time this thing showed up. I play Mystical Space Typhoon on Solemn Wishes."

Jade couldn't help but laugh. "That took forever, didn't it?" She obligingly discarded the trap she had set in her opening hand. "It certainly served me well."

"Looks like it. But things change. End turn."

"I draw. No more LP increases for me, but 9100 is plenty."

"It ought to be."

"End turn."

Kyle blinked at his next card and couldn't help but grin. "Hope you weren't planning on keeping Cosmo Queen around for very long."

Jade narrowed her eyes, and he continued. "First, I flip Bite Shoes (500/300) into attack mode. Its effect allows me to switch an opposing face-up monster to defense mode. Guess which one that is." Kyle smirked.

"Cosmo Queen, obviously. But her defense is still 2450."

"That's all I need." Kyle's voice became stronger. "I sacrifice Bite Shoes and my face-down Weather Report (950/1500) in order to summon Suijin (2500/2400) in attack mode!"

"Suijin," Jade uttered admiringly, even as the Labyrinth Brother loomed over her defensive Cosmo Queen. Suijin emerged from its card as though it were a water container made of thin plastic. What identified it as a monster were the two vicious arms that hung from either side of the equally vicious, razor-toothed mouth in the center. It glowered at Cosmo Queen with little remorse in its gaze.

"Just a little reminder of what we're fighting for," Kyle said. "Suijin, attack Cosmo Queen!" He discarded from the top of his deck, and Castle Walls went to the graveyard.

Suijin summoned a huge tidal wave to the field, and aimed the tsunami at Cosmo Queen. The wave washed over her and crushed her under its sheer force.

"You don't need to remind me, Kyle," Jade said quietly, barely able to be heard over the sound of the breakers. "I activate Michizure."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Taking Suijin, I assume."

"Yes."

"If you're so intent on robbing me of my monsters, I play Last Will. It lets me bring one monster from my deck as a special summon, provided it has an attack power of 1500 or less, and that a monster on my field has been sent to my graveyard this turn." Kyle looked through his deck for the monster he desired.

"The monster of my choice," Kyle announced, "is Koumori Dragon (1500/1200) in defense mode. End turn."

"I draw, and set a magic/trap face down and summon Maiden of the Moonlight (1500/1300) to the field in attack mode."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "With Swords still in effect, you'll have a tough time getting to my Life Points."

"Your Swords are finished," Jade said. "End of my turn."

The Swords vanished -- for the second time -- as Kyle drew his next card. "That's fine," he said, "because I don't really need them now. I play Monster Reborn."

"Activate Imperial Order!"

Kyle grunted and saluted with his Monster Reborn card before discarding it. _That knocks out all magic cards..._ "Waiting for that, weren't you?"

"Mmm... does it show ?" Jade asked sweetly.

"Only in your voice. End turn."

"I draw, and I'll keep Imperial Order around – losing 700 LP in the process, but who cares about that when one has as much as I do? – and then I summon Neo, the Mystic Swordsman (1700/1000) to the field in attack mode."

"Activate Trap Hole," Kyle announced. "Deja vu."

Jade's jaw dropped. "Your card was a Trap Hole? Why didn't you use it before now?"

Kyle allowed a lopsided smile as he cocked his head. "I wanted to see just how far I could push it. I only had one left."

"That's a stupid way to play." She said, "Maiden attacks your Dragon."

Kyle grunted and discarded his dragon. "Maybe it's stupid... but I've managed this far without it."

"End turn."

Kyle drew his next card, and placed the card he'd just drawn. "I play Rogue Doll (1600/1000) in attack mode."

"Trap Hole," she said with a shake of her head. "Admittedly, that _is_ getting old."

Kyle laughed contemptuously. "And here you were complaining about _my_ Trap Hole! In any case, that'll end my turn."

"Sorry," she said, evidently annoyed with having to use it. "I draw. I'm letting Imperial Order expire." Jade announced. "So not only do I get my Gravekeeper's Servant effect back, but I can also play Black Pendant, to increase Maiden's attack by 500. Sorry, Kyle."

He scoffed. "You're apologizing. And for what? You haven't gotten me yet."

"Haven't I? You can't destroy Maiden while she's wearing the Pendant, or you'll take 500 damage. Maiden, attack his last face down."

Kyle's Kotodama was wiped off the field. Its owner grimaced as the realization struck him. _She's right... unless I can get my Life Points back up, I'm done for, either by sacrifice or by attack. It's just a matter of time._

"End turn."

Kyle drew his next card. "I can hope, can't I, for a happy ending?"

"I suppose, if you're into that kind of thing."

"Remember the fairy-tale ending? I told you about it once. One monster face-down, end turn." He looked across the field, past her Maiden, and at his opponent. "Everything will turn out for the best. Maybe it won't be the way I want it... but it'll be for the best. That's what I believe."

"I draw." Jade said. "And yes, I do remember. It _was_ idealistic," Jade admitted, holding his gaze with her green eyes. Her tone turned slightly bitter. "But... it's still just that. A fairy-tale that you believe in. I sacrifice Maiden of the Moonlight to play Magical Marionette (2000/1000)."

Kyle closed his eyes and bowed his head. _That's it..._

His Life Point counter scrolled down to 0 before the monster even appeared on the field.

Slowly, he gathered his cards back into his deck and lowered his station back to ground level. He stepped around the side of the platform, intent on meeting Jade there, no matter how much it pained him to do so.

I met the challenge... I lost. Not much else to say.

I am sorry, Kyle. I wish the battle had turned out for the better.

I did the best I could. We all learn.

Jade walked up to him, watching him carefully. "Good duel," she said sincerely.

Somehow, he found the strength to look her in the eye. When he saw the sincerity in those green pools, he was convinced of the sincerity in her voice, and he knew in his heart that she meant it. He offered his hand; she took it and they shook firmly, her eyes never leaving his.

He took a deep breath, expelled half of it, then flipped through his cards until he found the one he was looking for. He carefully slipped it out from his deck and held it out to her. "You wanted it," he said. His voice held no trace of malice, nor trace of joy. It was devoid of any emotion whatsoever. "It's yours now. Take care of it."

Jade reached out and took his Sanga of the Thunder, now hers, and traced her fingers over it. "You know I will. It will be with its brother, Kazejin. And eventually, I'll get Suijin, too. It's a family that can't be split up for long."

Kyle's voice became firm. "That's where you're wrong. If you get Suijin, it won't be from me. You can count on that. I'll get stronger. And we _will_ duel again."

Jade slipped Sanga into her deck; it became indistinguishable from her other cards, as though it had just now been truly taken from him. "Yes, you will get stronger. And yes, we will duel again," Jade agreed. "But I've got one thing going for me that you don't have."

Kyle crossed his arms. "That being?"

"My fairy-tale ending has already come back to bite me in the ass." She gave a wry little smile. "So now I leave it alone. Maybe where dueling is concerned, you should do the same."

He shook his head. "Wrong again. I'm not going to give up so easily. Not even after that. You may have my favorite card now... but that won't stop me. _You_ won't stop me."

She looked at him steadily. "I don't want to _stop_ you, Kyle. I have no doubt you'll go far. Even if I don't win Suijin from you, I'll win it from someone and then I'll have the Gate Guardian. Or maybe ambitions and dreams are the same thing."

"Then I have both. And I'll chase them until they get tired of running." A side of Kyle's mouth quirked up. "In the meantime... we'll duel again. We both know it. But I need more time." He turned and headed back up the hallway. Halfway up the passage, he called over his shoulder. "Find me when I'm ready."

"Count on it, Kyle," was her quiet response. "You can count on it."

Kyle stopped in the lobby to discard his ID bracelet.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Kyle glanced up from the trash can, which he had become unduly fascinated with. The receptionist was hailing him. "Yes?"

"Sir, I have something for you. Your... friend left it with me."

He frowned, but went over to the desk.

"She wanted you to have this."

The receptionist held in her hand half the money Kyle had paid her... Jade's admission money.

Kyle blinked, but took the money. He frowned slightly_. Jade... why do you have to be so damned stubborn?_

He looked back at the receptionist, whose expression was quizzical. "Is there another way out of that room?"

She shook her head. "Not that I know of."

"Did she pass by after me?"

"I didn't see anyone."

He rolled his eyes. _It doesn't matter... she's gone anyway._

The receptionist cocked her head. "Just out of curiosity, sir... may I ask who won?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you want to know?"

"This job brings in good money, but it's really boring." Her eyes shone. "Please, can you tell me who won? I'm just curious."

He was silent for a moment. Then...

"She did."

He left the duelist center... and Sanga of the Thunder... behind.


	44. On The Line

_A/N: Sorry I haven't updated recently. I've been away, entertaining some good company. But now I'm back, and I've got a new chapter for you – from a different perspective than what you've become accustomed to. It may be a bit confusing at first, but just pay close attention and you'll be able to keep track, no problem. Thus I submit to you Chapter 44!_

Wolf: Well, Jade wanted Sanga. Whether to help break Kyle's spirit or simply get the stronger monster, no one knows. Either way, she won.

Eusine: Well, he's got to lose sometime. Makes him less Mary Sue and more human.

Lumen: Yeah, I definitely wanted the realism going on here. Kyle still has failings; this just happens to become one of them. Just 'cause he's good doesn't mean he can't lose.

Wolfwings: YES!

Skraku: Some duels just don't pan out that way. This was one.

Monica: See all of the above. And enter her mind to make him not sad? Take a look and you might just see that that's not necessary after all.

Lady Tetsu-Maru: Thank you much. I love to entertain through my writing.

-------

Monica wiped her brow. "All right, enough's enough, I need a break. I'm gonna dehydrate otherwise."

The director frowned, but there wasn't much he could do. Monica was, after all, the one funding this particular enterprise. "Okay, just don't make it too long. We want to get out of here by nightfall with something."

"Don't worry, it's only mid-day," she chuckled. "Give me half an hour. You were complaining about curtain placement anyway."

"That I was," he conceded. "All right, people, let's see what we can do with those curtains, huh?"

Monica rolled her eyes in wry amusement. All indications before now had pointed to this: making commercials was a relatively easy task. Of course, this was compared to being on a TV series, in a movie, etc. Which meant it was still quite difficult if you didn't have much experience in the area.

Fortunately the director was one who knew exactly what he wanted, and was quite hands-on if. He'd get the commercial done on time, no doubts of that – and likely the amount of break-time Monica took was irrelevant.

She went into a pseudo-office – basically just a piece of concrete floor with three cubicle walls – and turned on her cell phone. She dialed out, and as she put the phone to her ear, a little smile danced across her face.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey there, Kyle," she grinned. "Whatcha up to?"

_"Oh. Monica. Hey. Not much."_

She frowned. "Something wrong, Kyle? You sound kinda down."

_"You could say that. I think my winning streak fell apart."_

She raised an eyebrow. "You've lost your winning streak? Good God, McCraine, I think I just heard an icicle fall in Hell."

_"Bleh. It was bound to happen sooner or later."_

"So? Get yourself out of it."

_"Dunno if that's an option at this point."_

"With all the cards you got from the Madison tournament?" She was skeptical. "I'm not quite sure I believe that. Unless your deck's composition totally sucks. You… _did_ reconfigure your deck, didn't you?"

_"…Not by much, no."_

She rolled her eyes. "Well, then, there's your problem! Take it apart and put it back together with some more of those goodies you got. Don't just make them sit in your folder, _use_ them. You're a player, not a collector; I know that as much as anyone else who's ever dueled you."

_"…Don't worry about it."_

"Let _me_ choose what to worry about and what not to worry about," she admonished. "Pull yourself together. I'll come back in a couple days and then we can duel. All right?"

_"…Uh… not really sure I feel like dueling at this point…"_

Her frown deepened. "Kyle, you're not going to accomplish anything if you don't pick up where you left off. You can't just sit there languishing. New cards are coming out every two months; don't miss the opportunity. Come September, there'll be even more options out there. Besides, what's a level 4 duelist like you going to do when the next tournament offer arrives?"

_"Refuse until I feel up to it?"_

"No way. You'll enter if I have to sign your name to the sign-up sheet myself."

_"Forgery's a crime, you know."_

"And have you ever really concerned yourself with lawlessness?" She scoffed. "C'mon, Kyle. I know you better than that."

_"Then you should also know that it's going to take a considerable amount of doing to cheer me up."_

"I love a challenge," she smirked. But for his sake, she decided to change the subject. "Have you seen the commercial yet?"

_"Yeah, it just got here a couple days ago. Now they're running it practically during every commercial break any cable station has."_

"Good, then the FCC is doing its job."

_"You look good in it, I'll say that much. Well-spoken, too."_

She smiled. "Thanks. We're producing another couple, and then I'll be back home."

_"You call Oregon 'home'?"_

"It's more of a home than Indiana was."

_"...True."_

She smiled again. "I'll talk to you later, I've got to get back to work."

But as she pressed the "End" button, her smile faded and gave way to an expression of concern. _Whatever's going on, it's a lot more than just losing a couple of duels. Something's really bothering him._

I just hope I can find a way to cheer him up.

--

The Next Morning

--

Upon review of the edits done to the different shots, even the director had to admit that the commercial was looking halfway decent. Monica thought it was wonderful... but then again, how could it not be when she was in it?

One of the set runners came into the room, knocking as he moved – he wasn't terribly concerned with just standing there and waiting for someone to acknowledge his presence. The director turned to the runner and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"There's a call for Monica," the runner said. "Line 3."

The director looked at Monica. "Don't you have a cell phone for these kinds of things?"

"I doubt it's a personal call, Frank," she said. "There aren't too many who'd call me just to chat."

"Mm. Take it in my office."

"Thanks." She left the room and went down the hallway to the director's office – it was a cramped ordeal, but it was what he had, and on the budget Monica had allowed, it wasn't half-bad.

She approached the phone, whose Line 3 light was still afire, and she picked up the receiver as she pressed the appropriate button. "Hello?"

_"Ms. Zocallos?"_

"Speaking."

_"Good morning to you; this is Dorian Mendez, speaking on behalf of the Kepler Cigarettes corporation."_

She rolled her eyes. _I knew they'd call eventually._ "Well, what can I do for you today, Mr. Dorian Mendez?"

_"You could start by pulling the plug on your commercial campaign."_

She raised an eyebrow. "That's a rather ballsy demand, Mr. Mendez. What's prompting this? Is the ad campaign being even more successful than we realize?"

_"Ms. Zocallos, you're encouraging a national boycott on a product that doesn't do any harm to its consumers."_

"You, sir, need to get a CAT scan if you truly believe that to be the case," she snapped. "Why do you think I'd even consider pulling the ads?"

_"We're willing to do almost anything necessary to convince you, including but not limited to financial rewards for all of the efforts of yourself and the crew who assists you."_

"You're bribing me." She scoffed. "I don't believe it. You people are insufferable. We're making this ad to get the awareness out there. Smoking _is_ harmful, it _does_ take lives, and you, I, and the surgeon general all know that."

_"Very well, then... we will leave it up to you to choose what to do about this particular matter."_

"The point of this call is moot, Mr. Mendez, because I'm not pulling those ads."

_"In which case, we will see you in court."_

"That's ridiculous."

_"Rest assured, it's what will happen unless we can agree on some sort of measure. We would much rather not have to take you to court, but if you choose to leave us with no alternative..."_

_They're treating this like some sort of chess game_, she thought. _They make a move, I block it; they make another move, I block that one too; then they whip out their queen and rooks._

She blinked. _Wait a minute... game... maybe..._

"You know what?" she said. "I'll play your game, Mr. Mendez. But you'll have to play mine, too."

She could almost hear the quirking of his eyebrow. _"Meaning what, Ms. Zocallos?"_

"Meaning I'll pull my ad and any following ones in a wager."

_"Gambling is illegal beyond casinos,"_ responded the bigwig, sounding amused.

"Do you prefer a quick resolution or a long, drawn-out court battle?"

_"A quick resolution is always preferable, as long as it's within the bounds of reason. Is your solution a reasonable one?"_

"I'd hope so, because it's the only alternative I'm accepting," she answered. "So pay attention. I'm willing to pull the ads in a wager on a game of Duel Monsters. If I lose, the ads get pulled. If I win, they stay in place and our business is concluded – with no court battles."

_"That's a steep wager."_

"No kidding. So what it comes down to is, are you willing to put it all on the line, like I am?"

_"You are hardly putting anything 'on the line' in this case, Ms. Zocallos, in comparison with the company I represent."_

"I'd beg to differ. I've spent a long time putting together what I needed for the ad campaign, and I've poured a considerable amount of money into it, too. And now I'm apparently getting results, otherwise we wouldn't even be having this conversation. It's much like the operation of a company, if you consider the process. So think of us as rivaling companies, Mr. Mendez."

_"In which case, the lives of both our respective companies would be in the hands of a single Duel Monsters match."_

"You've got it."

"Why Duel Monsters?"

She shrugged. "What better game? All the other gambling crap's on the casino boats. Besides which, Duel Monsters is equal parts strategy and chance... also parts of a company's operation."

_"And if we refuse?"_

"Then you can give my regards to the judge."

She could heard some muttering in the background. Then, _"We'll continue this conversation later, Ms. Zocallos. My business associates need to deliberate."_

"Take all the time you need," she said. _The more time you take, the more people stay away from your products._ She hung the receiver up, then sat down and sighed. _What just got into me? Duel Monsters becomes a pseudo-courtroom? That's a hell of a way to reach a settlement on something quite this big._

_But_, she conceded, _it's appropriate. It's a fast method, and it combines superb resources, strategy, and luck. None of those forms can do anything without the other two in this game. And besides..._ She grinned. _It's not so different from what Kyle managed to pull off. I could start hoping that I get the same kind of luck with this deal that he had against Madison and they actually decide to go through with it._

Kyle...

She blinked. And blinked again. _Maybe... maybe I should try being more like him. Offer them a completely risky, reckless, bizarre opportunity to get something they want... and then, in exchange, ask for an equal opportunity for something I want in return._ She began to nod, a grin spreading across her face. _That could work... it could work..._

--

Several hours later, they were in the process of wrapping up. Monica had spoken with the director about the Kepler rep's "request", to which he'd simply scoffed. "These are the same people who go to Congress and say to everyone's face 'Cigarettes are not addictive.' Buncha lying assholes. A court case wouldn't hold up no matter how hard they pushed it."

"No kidding," she'd responded. "Looks like I might be striking a certain deal with them, though..."

He'd scowled. "Don't you dare tell me all this work has been for nothing. You're the one funding this entire campaign in the first place!"

"Calm down, I don't intend to pull our ads from a single commercial break," she'd assured him. "This deal will work completely in our favor, if all goes well. And we'll get a bonus of no court hassle."

"They wouldn't back off unless you were planning to really please them. Why do I get the feeling you're going to do something massively unwise?"

"Because you know me?" Monica had smiled impishly. "Don't worry. Things are under control, and I mean to keep them that way."

"Yeah, whatever. Go on back to the hotel, we'll get together tomorrow and see what we can come up with. Nine o'clock, my office."

"Yep." Monica made her way out of the building and out to the parking lot, but just as she was unlocking her car, the same runner she'd encountered that morning came racing out to meet her.

She glared. "What is it? Some of us need to get some early shut-eye."

"Sorry, but you've got another call." The runner chucked his thumb back at the studio.

She rolled her eyes. "Who from?"

"Some guy named Mendez."

"Oh." She pursed her lips. "I'd been hoping he'd at least wait until tomorrow..."

"Well, you know these suits. Can't wait for a dime to stop rolling before leaning down to pick it up."

_Which just leaves their ass exposed and a tempting target for a swift kick_, she thought. _Still... perfect time for them to 'deliberate some' more over the proposal I'm about to give them._

--

"Mr. Mendez?"

_"Ms. Zocallos. Good to hear your voice; we were starting to get worried."_

"You caught me on my way to my car. Something I can do for you?"

_"Actually, this call concerns something you wanted us to do for you. And after careful consideration, the board of Kepler has – on a democratic vote – chosen to accept your offer. There are conditions, of course."_

"Name them."

_"Very well. Since there are not many in our company who are knowledgeable about the game of Duel Monsters, a professional duelist will be hired. You will not know your opponent prior to the match. You and your opponent will be operating under the rules of the recent Madison Enterprises tournament, with which I believe you are familiar."_

"Quite."

_"Good. In the event that our hired duelist wins the match, you will immediately cease production of all materials not yet released, and you will pull the plug on the ads currently running, on threat of lawsuit."_

Monica snorted in wry amusement. "I'm an honorable duelist, Mr. Mendez. You don't need to threaten me with a lawsuit for not doing my duty. I'm a woman of my word."

_"That's good to know. In the event that you win, we will not contact you again, nor will we pursue any legal action against you."_

"That's the part I like best."

_"Then with your consent, we will be drawing up a contract stating the terms of this agreement."_

"It's not my consent you'll need. It's your own. I have a couple new terms I want to stick in with the deal."

There was a prolonged moment of hesitation on the other end of the line, but Mendez's voice returned. _"Very well... name your terms and we'll consider them."_

"I happen to have in my possession a pair of extremely rare Duel Monsters cards. I want to wager them in addition to the future of the ad campaign."

_"Those cards being...?"_

Monica bit her lip, almost not wanting to say it. _Here goes..._ "Two Blue-Eyes White Dragon monster cards."

She could just barely hear a collective intake of breath on the other end. In spite of herself, a small grin touched her lips – she loved the reaction she got every time she revealed she had a Blue-Eyes on hand.

_"Ms. Zocallos... have you just admitted to being in possession of two well-known stolen items?"_

"I'm well-aware that Seto Kaiba considers them stolen property," Monica remarked, "but he's almost the only one. They're not Mona Lisas and they're actually rather easily replaced – as Kaiba has made clear to the rest of the world, now that he has three more copies. This isn't unique art. This is card paper."

_"Ms. Zocallos, there is a substantial reward posted for the return of those cards."_

"That's something else I was already well-aware of. However, I'm not interested in that reward. But if you are, then you'd be well-advised to take this offer. I'm given to understand that hefty chunk of change could do well for a company, even one like yours."

_"...Very well. We will assume, for the moment, that you would not offer these to us without expecting a wager of near-equal value in return. Is this assumption correct?"_

"It is," Monica confirmed. "In return, I want you to wager a Gate Guardian effect monster card, as well as a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fusion monster card."

At that, there was the unmistakable sound of laughter. _"And what could possibly make you think we have either of those in our possession?"_

"Nothing does. That's why you're going to have to find them first. Otherwise, my ads will keep running, all the way through that long, drawn-out court battle... no matter the verdict. I'll see to that."

That brought whatever snickering was happening on the other end to a grinding halt. She smirked; she'd hit a nerve. They weren't sure a lawsuit was actually going to hold up in court... they just wanted to scare her. There was silence for a few moments, and then Mendez's voice returned once more, this time tentative. _"Are the cards a deal-breaker?"_

"Yes, they are. If you can't handle my deal, then take me to court. You people have a better chance of beating me personally in a duel than legally in some bizarre case. We both have money to burn. I can go around in as many circles as you'd have me make. I think it's worth fighting for. And if my ads are as successful as your apparent desperation seems to suggest they are, then the longer you waste time trying to nail me in the courtroom for something, the longer those ads run. My way, if you win, you'll get the ads pulled posthaste, and you'll have a couple of gifts for Mr. Kaiba. Can I make myself any more clear?"

_"...We'll need more time to consider the offer. Is there a convenient time to call you tomorrow?"_

"9:15 a.m.," she answered. "A pleasure doing business with you."

_"I wish I could say likewise."_

She scoffed and hung up. _Well, then... this entire thing feels freaking weird... but then again, I'm not feeling very selfish about it. At least, not like I was feeling when I got the first Blue-Eyes._

Kyle, you're having a greater effect on me than you know.

--

The Next Morning

--

"Monica? Call for you on line 2."

The director frowned. "Again? Just what kind of deal are you making with these people, anyway?"

Monica shook her head as she got up. "It doesn't matter as long as I keep my head cool. The worst they can do is let the deal fall through and then take us to court – where no lawsuit they file can hold up. And the ads will run 'til Kingdom come if that happens."

"Monica, you wouldn't be making a deal with these people for nothing at all. There's got to be some risk to the ad campaign, and I want to know what it is so that I know my work isn't in vain. I've worked hard on this, too, and I'd like some credit for that."

"You'll get it," she promised. She pointed at his phone. "May I?"

He gestured towards it to indicate she could help herself – which was exactly what she did. "Hello?"

_"Ms. Zocallos, Mr. Mendez from Kepler."_

"A pleasure, as always."

_"I'm sure. After careful consideration, the board has reached an agreement."_

"Which is?"

_"We're going to accept your offer."_

She pumped her fist in silent victory, but otherwise gave no indication of joy in the matter – the director was still staring at her with flat incredulity. "That's good to hear. When is the event scheduled?"

_"Don't be so hasty. We'll be drawing up a contract for your consideration. Once your and Mr. Kepler's signatures are on it, the event will take place at our convenience."_

"Then fax the contract to me and I'll look it over. Make sure it isn't bathroom tissue... know what I mean?"

_"Indeed. That fax will arrive shortly, I assure you."_

"Good. Call me back after you send it. Rest assured I'll be reading the fine print."

_"We expect no less."_

She hung up and glanced at the director. He had eyebrows raised. "Contract? Fine print? I want to see this thing."

"It doesn't have anything to do with you personally," she said.

"But indirectly, it does?"

"Possibly. It's just the stuff I have to sign to make sure that they don't pull any funny stuff after saying they'd leave us alone."

He narrowed his eyes. "Anything happens to the ad campaign out of the ordinary, I'd best get a movie director's salary."

She rolled her eyes and looked over the latest script. _So. The duel's on. They can go ahead and bring it. I'll be ready for them._

-------

I wonder how many of you were expecting Monica's point of view for this chapter. That point of view will continue to next chapter, when she signs the contract and duels the Kepler Cigarettes company's hired gun. Stay tuned!


	45. Smoke and Mirrors I

_A/N: Here's Chapter 45 for your reading pleasure. Soon enough we're going to hit Chapter 50. Oy, this story's getting up there, isn't it? Just like our parents. Happy birthday to my mom, who doesn't read this story but nevertheless deserves a shout-out for not murdering me in any variety of interesting methods over the last 20 years._

Eusine: For the record, the lateness was due to me entertaining my girlfriend, who was paying an extended visit. Yup, real life is good.

Monica: Well, of course she's awesome. Look at everything she's got going for her... up to and including a dedicated fan such as yourself!

Lady Tetsu-Maru: I applaud your performance, madam... I was quite afraid you'd hyperventilate before I had a chance to post the new chapter. But now it's here!

Voakands: Considering what Kepler has agreed to wager against Monica's Blue-Eyes, Kyle would probably raise his eyebrows at the chance to get his hands – however briefly – on Gate Guardian. Kudos for the idea, though; a couple others suggested the same thing. Augh! My writing's becoming predictable!

Lumen: You assume correctly, my friend. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is actually the fusion of three Blue-Eyes White Dragons instead of just two, but there are certain ways around that... she just wants to have the powerful monster. And don't worry about Kyle, he'll come around... eventually.

Skraku: Ideas are dangerous things. They're what got me started on this story. But as to your questions, you're about to find out who the hired gun is. Hope you enjoy!

Mira: I didn't catch your review in my inbox until after I'd posted Ch. 44, sorry about that. I'll take your disapproval of Jade to be a compliment, since it's hard to create a character so realistic you have actively negative feelings toward that character. However, I can't take all the credit on that – Ankhutenshi is responsible for helping me bring Jade to life. So kudos to Ankh-chan, as well!

-------

When the contract had come in, it had – most unfortunately – come through the director's office. And he got a good look at it. A very good look.

He'd gone through the roof.

For the rest of the day, Monica had to shut her ears to the sound of his ranting through the hallways about how she could be so reckless as to stake the entire future of his staff and his work in this campaign on "some lousy card game". She didn't even bother to attempt reassuring him that they had nothing to worry about. There were only a few that could beat her at the game of Duel Monsters; this had already been confirmed by virtually every analyst of Duel Monsters tournaments, big and small. And those few who could defeat her were also well-known in the dueling community.

Idly, she wondered just how big of an upset her loss to Kyle had been.

_Doesn't matter right now_, she finally decided. _It's because of Kyle that I'm even wagering one of my Blue-Eyes cards in the first place. Returning a favor I owe him... in pretty much the only way I know how._

At least the contract had been honest enough, which was a surprise to her. She'd expected some obscure clause designed to make her lose in virtually any outcome. But no; the entire thing had been laid out in fine, clear detail. Interestingly enough, the cards that the two opposing sides were wagering were not mentioned by name on the contract, but rather by ID number.

_That's probably to make sure no wandering eyes happen to spot all these goings-on_, she thought, grinning at the code strings of each card. _The last thing they need is for someone to spot them typing out "A Deal For Blue-Eyes White Dragons" and report it to Kaiba. He'd kick their teeth in even worse than I could hope for him to._

When she received the call, the director refused to let her anywhere near his office, so she had to take it on a phone much further up the hallway. "Yes?"

_"Ms. Zocallos, Dorian Mendez. I trust you've received our contract by now."_

"Yeah, I have it. It looks like everything's in order. I'm waiting for the invisible ink on it that shows just how you intend to ensure victory, but..."

_"If there's invisible ink on it, it's because the owner of the fax machine in that building put it there,"_ Mendez responded, dry amusement in his tone. _"However, we will require proof that you actually are in possession of two Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards, as you well know."_

"Of course," she responded. "Likewise I'll need proof that you're in possession of the cards I want when it comes time for the duel. If even one card is missing from either player, or if any card isn't genuine, the deal's off."

_"That doesn't sit well with the board, as they believe you would prefer a court battle to a Duel Monsters match for the purposes of drawing your campaign out over a longer period of time."_

"Actually, I'd prefer the match. It's so much more exciting to have all this on the line. And if you don't like it, you're free to burn the contract, and we can meet in front of the judge." She grinned into the phone.

_"Very well, since you're so insistent on the game. Will you sign the contract and fax it to us?"_

"That, I will," she responded. "And what happens after that?"

_"We've chosen the duelist we wish to hire, but won't do so until we receive the contract. Upon reception and review, we'll contact you and let you know when and where the duel will be."_

"Just don't make it on the other side of the country, I'd much prefer it was local."

_"We'll do what we can."_

As she hung up, she muttered, "Yeah, right.

--

The Next Day – 5 p.m.

--

Monica griped to herself about traveling all this way after getting barely any sleep the night before because of anxiety. She'd traveled halfway across Washington, D.C. just to meet this duelist and give him the trouble of his life. _Let's hope he's got the goods I want, too._

The duelist center had a few people coming in and out as she approached it. She hummed and kept her cards safely tucked away, as there was simply no point in being clumsy with them and holding them out for everyone to see – not even in a place like this.

She approached the secretary, who glanced up momentarily. "Hello, may I help you?"

"Yeah, there's a reservation under Kepler, I believe. Was just wondering if you could tell me where that reservation is."

The secretary looked at her records. "Kepler... ah, yes. Fourth hallway on the left, just go all the way down. You'll need to buy an ID bracelet before going in, though."

Monica mentally rolled her eyes. _They couldn't pick up the tab for a lousy duelist center ID bracelet..._ Nevertheless, she paid the fee without vocal complaint and snapped the bracelet on as she moved down the hallway.

She emerged into a gymnasium-sized room with a dueling arena situated right in the middle. A fair-skinned man who looked to be a bit older than her was leaning against the side of the arena facing the doorway; he wore simple black clothing and a gray cap that covered most of his dark hair. He tipped his hat at her in greeting. "Hello, there."

She placed her hands on her hips. "You're the duelist for Kepler?"

"In the flesh. Cameron's the name, and Duel Monsters is my game."

"How terribly cliché."

He shrugged. "If you say so. But before we start in, we may as well inspect each other's merchandise."

"Agreed. No cards change hands for an instant, though."

"Of course." He pulled a pair of card protectors from his pocket. They were double-thick, and when Monica saw what was in them, her eyes shone in anticipation. _There they are..._ And the holographic panel on the bottom right corner was present on each one to assure authenticity. But she didn't need those, for the sparkling holographic pictures, indicating the level of rarity being dealt with, were enough to confirm that they were genuine.

"Now show me yours," Cameron said.

"Gladly." Monica pulled out her deck and riffled through the cards until she found both Blue-Eyes and showed them to him. She'd expected him to wince or show some form of disapproval that they had gone into her deck and not card protectors, but he didn't; instead, he simply nodded in approval.

"Good enough for me. Shall we?" He gestured to the arena.

She nodded, eager to get started.

A minute later, they were both mounted on their respective platforms – Monica on blue, Cameron on red – and ready to duel. Monica stared across the expanse, her eyes set on the cool, steely gaze of her opponent. _He's not the least bit afraid. Good._

"It's my custom to let ladies go first," Cameron mentioned. "So go ahead."

At that, her eyes narrowed. "I'm so glad you're _letting_ me go first, because gee, it would be a shame to simply watch me as I make the first move," she sneered, drawing her sixth card as she spoke. She inspected her hand a moment, then said, "I place one magic/trap card face-down and one monster in defense mode."

As the according holograms appeared on the field, she frowned at Cameron. "My turn's over. Now I'm _letting_ you take _your_ turn."

His response to that was a small quirk at the corner of his mouth as he drew. "Thank you, it's much appreciated," he said. "And now, for the turn you're letting me take, I'm playing Soul Exchange on your defensive monster."

Her eyes narrowed further as her Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) was caught up in the flashing light of Soul Exchange's magic. "I still get her effect."

"Yes, and I imagine it was exactly what you wanted," he answered. "Meanwhile, I have exactly what I want: a higher-level monster in defense mode. So there you are. We're both happy."

"You make it sound like we've hit a compromise."

"Maybe we have."

"Not even," she sniffed.

The corner of his mouth quirked again. "End turn."

She drew, then immediately put the drawn card into play. "I play Graceful Charity," she announced. "And if I don't get any good cards, then I'll know it isn't my deck."

She drew the next three cards, then perused her hand for the two she'd have to discard. _Hm. I don't really want to discard any of these, but of the ones I don't need right now..._ "I discard Ultimate Offering and Card Destruction," she continued. "And now I play Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode!"

Monica's Spear Dragon appeared in a perch atop its holographic card, waiting for its chance to strike.

_I have to put a quick end to this duel_, she thought. _C'mon, give me some luck..._ "Spear Dragon, attack his face-down monster!"

With that order, Spear Dragon took flight and bolted toward the face-down card.

But it was halted mid-strike by a powerful magical shield as the monster card flipped over, to reveal a white-robed spellcaster bowed in meditation.

"Your Spear Dragon's powerful," Cameron noted, "but it takes a bit more than that, I'm afraid, to destroy my Great Dezard (1900/2300) when it's in defense mode. And now you'll have to pay the price for acting so rashly."

Monica's Life Points scrolled down to 3600 and her Spear Dragon, as per its effect, knelt into defense mode. She ground her teeth. _Spear Dragon's got no defense points, it's an easy target for anything. I shouldn't rush into things like that..._ "My turn's finished, now show me what you've got."

"If you insist," he answered, drawing. "And what I've got is a monster whose attack points far outweigh your dragon's defense points. So I'm going to switch Great Dezard to attack mode."

With that, the spellcaster got to his feet and stared dispassionately across the field, as if in simple observation.

"Next, I summon Wandering Mummy (1500/1500) to the field in attack mode."

The new monster proved to be rather difficult not to flinch at with a first glance. Whatever it had once been, it had since been mummified and stored away; now, however, it seemed rather alive, if disgustingly so. Its jaw stretched almost too far down in a perpetual expression of shouting, and its skin was stretched so tightly over its skeleton that Monica could see its bones where the wrappings weren't covering it. She winced. _Ew. Zombies give me the creeps._

"Great Dezard, attack Spear Dragon."

A beam of black energy lanced from between the spellcaster's hands and obliterated the defensive monster on Monica's field. She frowned. _Why would he make Great Dezard attack my monster? It's the one with more attack points; by all rights it should have been Wandering Mummy to attack my dragon so that more Life Points could be deducted from me by the end of the round._

"Wandering Mummy, attack her Life Points."

Cameron's zombie spewed forth a foul-looking cloud of greenish gas – apparently poisonous to Monica's LP, because the counters descended to 2100. She winced again when she saw them. _Okay, I take it back, having Wandering Mummy attack was a good idea, more LP for me to work with._

"And that ends my turn," Cameron announced.

_If I don't get a handle on this, I'll be finished before my fifth turn..._ She drew her next card, and visibly relaxed upon sight of it. _Okay, this is much better._ "I play Luster Dragon #1 (1900/1600) in attack mode!"

A dragon covered in sapphire appeared in place of Monica's recently departed monster. _It can't destroy Great Dezard, but it can at least match the attack power. And meanwhile..._ "Luster Dragon, attack Wandering Mummy!"

Luster Dragon's mouth craned open and issued a burst of blue flame. The flame incinerated the Zombie-Type monster where it stood, and left Cameron with 3600 Life Points.

"Good," he congratulated, nodding in approval. "Your counterattack leaves something to be desired, I suppose, but good, nonetheless."

She glowered. "I'm glad you think so. My turn's done."

"This is also good." He drew his next card. "Since it's pointless to have Great Dezard try to attack, I'll just put him back in defense mode."

Great Dezard returned to his kneeling position and stayed there.

"And then I place another monster in defense mode." He smiled up at Monica. "Your turn."

She drew her next card. _Good. Now I can start building up._ "I place one magic/trap face-down," she announced, "and a monster in defense mode. Now you're gonna have to work a little harder to hit my Life Points."

"You make hitting your Life Points sound like a challenge."

She glared. "Do you just enjoy raining on everybody's parade?"

He smirked. "I'm the life of every party."

"Your zombies suggest otherwise. Luster Dragon, attack his defensive monster!"

Her dragon's blue flame did its work in destroying the face-down – but only after it flipped over to reveal another zombie. This one ejected another cloud of poison gas, this one red in coloration.

"You've destroyed my Poison Mummy (1000/1800)," Cameron declared. "Which was a bad idea, because now you lose 500 Life Points due to his flip effect." As her LP counters scrolled to 1600, he continued, "Life Point strikes really aren't all that hard if you know how to do it right. It's not that big a deal to go after them, no matter how many monsters you have out or how good they are."

"Thanks for the lesson; now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to the duel I'm trying to win," she snapped.

"Ah. Well, I wish you the best of luck on that. Looks like you need it right about now."

She snarled to herself. _He's trying to get me riled up and it's working..._ "End turn," she grumbled.

As he drew his next card, he smiled. "Now, I'm guessing you probably have a way to keep something like that from happening again all set up on that back row of yours. But since I can't have that, I'm playing Heavy Storm. Say bye-bye to your cards back there."

Bolts of electricity crackled from the photon arrays and blasted both her Polymerization magic card and her Shadow of Eyes trap to oblivion. As Monica continued to grumble to herself, Cameron said, "And now I'm placing one magic/trap card face-down. Your turn, whenever you're ready."

Monica hissed as she drew her next card. "Fine. If I can't have any magic/traps, you can't, either. I play Harpie's Feather Duster!"

"Good," he responded, "because that gives me a trigger to activate my face-down before it's destroyed – Poison of the Old Man." He smirked. "It gives me a pair of effects to choose from. I could raise my Life Points by 1200 by its first effect, but I think I'll use the second one instead... and lower your Life Points by 800."

As the sweeping feather duster came to swat at the little old man that had appeared on Cameron's magic/trap field, Monica could only watch as her remaining Life Points were cut in half by the effect of his card.

Monica pounded her pedestal in frustration. _Damn it! Every time I think I've got him, he gets me back even harder! I need to calm down..._ She drew in several breaths, but only partially succeeded in finding calm. _Remember what I'm here for. I'm not going to lose to this smart-ass._ "In that case, I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn," she said, her words semi-civil.

Cameron apparently took no notice of Monica's warring emotions and drew his next card with a look of expectancy. Then he grinned. "Just what I wanted. Don't blink; this is something you shouldn't miss."

"Get on with it."

He _tsk_ed. "So impatient. But fine, it's not as if we both have nothing better to do and all day to do it. I play the magic card Pyramid Energy, and put the first of its two effects to use – to increase the attack power of all monsters on my field by 200 for the duration of this turn."

_Trying to power up his Great Dezard, I'll bet_, she thought. _Since it destroyed one monster in battle, it can't be specifically targeted by magic and trap cards anymore, but if the card is a general field-side power-up, like Pyramid Energy, the effect works._

Sure enough, Cameron announced, "Now I'm putting my Great Dezard back into attack mode with the attack power necessary to take out your Luster Dragon. So I'll have him do exactly that... Great Dezard, attack Luster Dragon."

Another bolt of black energy fried her Luster Dragon in a near-mirror image of what had happened with Spear Dragon. Her Life Point counters continued to descend, now at a perilous 600.

"And now I get to activate Great Dezard's second effect," he declared. "After he destroys two monsters in battle, I can tribute him from the field in order to special summon from my deck the most powerful Zombie-Type there is... Fushioh Richie (2600/2900)!"

Great Dezard vanished from the field in a flash of smoke and light, to be replaced by a horned, pale blue zombie wearing a red cloak and carrying a staff that seemed to be made of decaying bone.

"My monster is privy to several special effects," Cameron continued, "but I'll let you in on them as we go. Here's the first one: I flip Fushioh Richie to face-down defense mode."

With that, the monster hologram vanished from the field and its card flipped over. Monica frowned. "Is that legal?"

"For _this_ monster, it is," Cameron responded, "though you're free to check the rule book. While you're at it, if you'd like, you could see if there's a rule against losing quite like you are right now."

Monica glowered. "Anything else before I come over there and beat you with a crowbar?"

"Maybe the money to help you buy the crowbar. By that point I won't have anything else to worry about. Soon as you step down from your pedestal, the duel's finished. And as we both know, the one with the higher Life Points wins when that happens." That same confident smile was still there.

She tried not to fume. Admittedly, it was a difficult task, especially since she was so exceedingly good at it. _Cool down, Monica. This duel isn't being fought just for the sake of playing Duel Monsters. Its outcome makes a difference in people's lives. Keep that in mind. Stick close to your guns, turn your head into a block of ice, and just stay calm._

"My turn's finished," Cameron announced.

Monica drew her next card. _I don't have anything I can play to counter that monster, so I'm going to have to defend myself until I do._ "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Cameron drew. "I'll also place one monster in defense," he responded, "and now I'll flip Fushioh Richie back into attack mode."

The Zombie-Type creature once more emerged onto the field – and then, right next to it, there appeared another zombie. Her brow furrowed and she looked at Cameron. "Mind filling me in on what's happening here?"

"Whenever Fushioh Richie is flipped face-up, he can Special Summon one Zombie-Type monster from my graveyard. So I chose to bring back my Poison Mummy, in defense mode. And since he can also be flipped face-down every turn, I can use his effects to continue bringing back the zombies you destroy until they overwhelm you." Cameron pointed at the hologram of the monster Monica had placed face-down. "And they'll start with that one. Fushioh Richie, attack the monster she just played!"

The giant zombie let loose a great gust of green and white smoke, which drifted across the field and washed over Monica's face-down. Her Forgiving Maiden (850/2000) was revealed for an instant, clutching at her face in agony, before vanishing into nothingness.

"And with that done, I return Fushioh Richie to his original face-down defensive position." Cameron's smile didn't waver as his monster vanished underneath its holographic card. "That ends my turn."

She drew her next card and nearly groaned in frustration. _These are good cards, they just aren't the right ones! And meanwhile he's standing over there, completely confident and in control. He knows exactly what he's doing._ She looked up at him. _Every move he makes is precise. He's totally in control of the situation, and he knows it._ She finally sighed. "I pass this turn."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Really? How interesting. That leaves you with two monsters." He drew. "And now I'll once again flip Fushioh Richie to attack mode. With his effect, I recall my Wandering Mummy from the graveyard in defense mode!"

With that, Fushioh Richie rose again, and Cameron's fourth monster took form once more. The hired gun duelist simply smiled. "Fushioh Richie, attack her face-down monster."

Another burst of green and white smoke caused Monica's Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) to crumble and topple where it knelt.

"And now Fushioh Richie returns to his face-down position," Cameron continued, "followed by my Wandering Mummy, which is privy to the same effect. But something different happens when Wandering Mummy goes face-down."

As Monica watched, the holograms of his face-down monster cards warped and seemed to shuffle themselves across his field. His Poison Mummy didn't seem to be affected by this change.

"Whenever Wandering Mummy is flipped face-down, his effect allows him to shuffle all monster cards that are face-down on my field. So now you don't even know where on the field my monsters are, save that they're there."

_So if I try to go on the offensive against his face-downs, even with a decent monster, I run the risk of attacking Fushioh Richie and losing the rest of my Life Points to his high defense_, she thought. _He knows the strengths and weaknesses of his own monsters to the T, and he's made sure to have the advantage the entire time. He's good, no doubt of that._

"Your move," said Cameron.

_If I don't get a good one now, this might be the end of the game..._


	46. Smoke and Mirrors II

_A/N: Chapter 46. Not much more to say._

Mira: Was actually trying to avoid a Bones analogy, what with Cameron actually being decent competition and using his cards to their full potential without any backseat dueling from Bandit Keith. But if the shoe fits...

Monica: Cameron's past will be revealed in due time... though not necessarily by me. Have fun with this chappie!

--

Monica's LP - 600

Cameron's LP - 3600

--

She reached for her deck and drew.

_Yes!_

"I play Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in defense mode,"she declared, and on her field there manifested a spellcaster outfitted in dark robes plated with dragon bones. He was kneeling and looking down at the field, rather than up at the opposing monsters that hovered there.

"And now I play the magic card Flute of Summoning Dragon!"

Her monster stretched his hand out, and an exotic-looking bronze instrument appeared in his palm. When he put it to his lips and played it, it blared a loud tenor note.

"When I play this card in conjunction with Lord of Dragons, I can Special Summon up to two Dragon-Type monsters to my field from my hand without needing a single sacrifice to do it," she said. "And I have just the dragons I need. Come forth, Hyozanryu (2100/2800) and Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!"

Her field abruptly was aglow in blinding light, and from that light emerged two ivory dragons that took up almost the entire space for monster placement. While Hyozanryu's wings were wrapped around its form in a position of protection, Blue-Eyes' wings were unfurled and its mouth was wide open, ready to blast away any and all monsters on Cameron's field.

_And this Blue-Eyes is compliments of Kyle McCraine_, she thought, smiling at both the hologram and the card. "Hyozanryu's in defense mode, but Blue-Eyes is very much poised to attack."

Cameron's only reaction was to raise an eyebrow. Monica surveyed his field for a few moments. _Where could Fushioh Richie be hiding?_ She finally pointed at her decision. "Blue-Eyes, attack the monster on the far left!"

Her dragon's mouth was suddenly ablaze with white energy, and that energy spilled out into a stream directed straight at its target. The aim was true, and the card was obliterated – and the monster along with it, which was revealed upon its destruction.

_That was it!_ she thought happily, as Fushioh Richie crumbled under the blast. Cameron's confident expression didn't dissipate, however, even to that drawback. "No big deal. I have plenty other monsters at my disposal."

She scoffed. "Whatever. My turn's finished, and this duel's close enough to be."

"Oh, really? From the looks of our Life Point counters, I'd say you still have a way to go in order to both successfully defend yourself _and_ beat me at the same time." He drew. "And after this, it may take even longer. I play the magic card Book of Life."

Monica's gaze narrowed at the thick book that appeared on his m/t field. _Now he can bring back a Zombie-Type monster from his graveyard and remove one of my destroyed monsters from the duel at the same time._

"I'm calling its effect on Fushioh Richie, of course," he said, "and as for the monster to be removed from play, I choose your Witch of the Black Forest."

As his monster rematerialized on his field, Monica moved her Witch card to the appropriate space on her pedestal. "And now what?" she asked.

He shrugged. "And now... I attack. Fushioh Richie, destroy her Lord of Dragons!"

The haze of green and white smoke was apparently too much for her monster, and he crumpled where he knelt.

"Now I switch Fushioh Richie to face-down defense, and then reveal my Wandering Mummy once more... only to have him return face-down as well."

Monica watched the face-down monster cards shuffle on his field, grinding her teeth as they did so. _The only monster I have that can destroy Fushioh Richie is Blue-Eyes, whether Richie's in attack mode or not. If I play anything else in attack mode, and then miss Richie on my next Blue-Eyes attack, he'll just take that monster out and I may lose the game. He may have weaker monsters but he's still got me cornered._

"Your turn," he said, not a trace of worry in his voice.

She drew her next card. _I need the chance to have more options. Which means..._ She glanced at the monster card she still had face-down. _Guess I'll have to go for it._ "I flip my Magician of Faith (300/400)," she announced as her minuscule elven spellcaster took form, "in order to use her effect to bring my Graceful Charity magic card back to my hand."

"How interesting," Cameron replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, this'll be interesting, I can assure you," she responded. "Now I sacrifice my Magician of Faith to summon Luster Dragon #2 (2400/1400) in attack mode!"

As her magician disappeared and gave rise to another of her powerful dragons, Cameron simply offered a silent smirk. The emerald-crusted dragon that arose growled menacingly, placing itself on Blue-Eyes' right.

"Laugh it up," she mocked. "And now I switch Hyozanryu to attack mode!"

The dragon on Blue-Eyes' left now readied itself for battle, light glimmering through its massive topaz horn and diamond wings.

_He has four monsters on the field, three of them face-down. I can't afford to attack any face-down with Hyozanryu, because if I find Richie with it, I'll lose the game to its higher defense. That leaves Luster Dragon and Blue-Eyes, which means I've got a two-in-three shot of hitting Richie. But first thing's first._ "Hyozanryu, destroy his Poison Mummy!"

The gemmed dragon sailed across the field and gored Cameron's Poison Mummy upon its horn. The mummy let out a hoarse shout before crumbling and vanishing.

"One down, three to go. Now, Luster Dragon, attack the face-down monster on the right!"

Luster Dragon's mouth spewed forth a blast of green fire that set the face-down card alight for a few moments before it and its monster vanished – a woman in dark robes, with three eyes...

"Seems like everyone these days has a Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)," Cameron commented, as he looked through his deck to find a monster card privy to Witch's effect. "It's not hard to see why, though. You can get almost any monster you please out of your deck once she's destroyed."

Monica scoffed. _Two face-downs left. Gimme some luck, here._ "Blue-Eyes, attack the face-down monster on the right!"

The burst of white energy boiled over Cameron's monster card – and Monica's face fell when she realized it was his Wandering Mummy she'd attacked.

He chuckled. "You almost had him, too. What a shame."

She sighed, resisting the urge to smack her forehead. "My turn's finished."

He grinned. "Don't feel bad... I'm a professional at this game. You've made it this far, so you should be proud of yourself." He drew his next card. "Now, I place one monster in defense mode, and then once more flip Fushioh Richie to attack mode."

Richie's arrival heralded the revival of another of his zombies... "Welcome my Wandering Mummy back to the field, too," he said. "The fun just keeps on coming – and so do the attacks. Fushioh Richie, attack her Hyozanryu!"

She stared as the mist engulfed her favorite monster, which seemed to virtually melt under the attack before toppling to the deck.

And her Life Points scrolled down to 100.

Cameron whistled. "Now _that_ is an impressive score, right there."

Monica said nothing, but instead chose to sulk. _Your ugly monsters shouldn't be able to stand up to my pretty dragons... that's why you're running scared with Fushioh Richie and Wandering Mummy and all those stupid monsters that can go right back to defense mode._

"And once more, Fushioh Richie returns to face-down defense," he declared, "and following him, Wandering Mummy."

The face-down monster cards shuffled again, much to Monica's dismay. _I'm nowhere closer to my goal than when I first went on the attack!_

"It's your move," Cameron noted.

Monica drew. _This duel has got to end, and fast._ "I play Graceful Charity," she said, and she drew her next three cards accordingly. _This'll help._ "And I'll toss out Light of Intervention and Heart of Clear Water."

"Oh, the anticipation is nerve-wracking," Cameron jeered.

"It should be. Because now I play Change of Heart to take control of the face-down monster you've got in the center!"

The beautiful half-angel/half-demon child soared across the field and into his central face-down monster card. That card subsequently floated toward her side and hovered next to Luster Dragon #2.

"I flip that monster to attack mode," she declared.

And she found herself facing the emaciated blue back of Fushioh Richie.

She blinked. _Wow. Too bad I don't have any Zombie-Type monsters myself to use for his effect, but the only zombie dragon in existence is Berserk Dragon, and..._ She shuddered. _Eww. No way. Forget that._

_But in the meantime, his field is rid of Richie, at least for the moment... which means I can go all-out._ "Luster Dragon, attack the face-down on the left!"

A haze of green fire set the face-down card alight and his Wandering Mummy returned to the graveyard.

"Fushioh Richie, attack his remaining monster!"

But unfortunately, it wasn't so simple with the zombie's attack, ultimate though it was, because when the greenish smoke fluttered across the arena, it surrounded the face-down but didn't destroy it. Rather, the face-down flipped up and revealed a minuscule creature surrounded in a purple cloak and bearing a scythe.

"You've met Fushioh Richie, my ultimate offensive monster. Now say hello to my ultimate defense. Attacking my Spirit Reaper (300/200) doesn't resolve anything," Cameron said. "He can't be destroyed in battle, no matter how high the attack power of the opposing monster is. Unlike yourself, I have ways of keeping my monsters around when I need them."

Monica narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, there's no way I'm letting you keep Richie around if you're still going to have Life Points by the end of this turn. So I'll sacrifice him and Luster Dragon #2 to play one monster face-down."

With that, both her dragon and her borrowed undead minion vanished to give way to a face-down monster card. "Next, I place one magic/trap card face-down. And that finishes my turn."

"Hmm." Cameron drew, and then offered Monica a wide smile. "I play Monster Reborn."

A crease split her brow. _He's going to bring back Richie, I know he is..._

"Under other circumstances, I might deign to bring Fushioh Richie back, as effective as he's proven to be during this duel. But since I wouldn't be able to use his effect, that would be ultimately quite useless, because your Blue-Eyes would just destroy him again. So instead, I'm going to revive my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)."

Monica blinked as the well-known spellcaster returned to the field, knelt in prayer. _There are a limited number of reasons he'd bring that monster back... and every one of them involves her effect. He wants another low-defense monster from his deck._

"And now I sacrifice my Witch in order to summon Patrician of Darkness (2000/1400) in attack mode." As Cameron retrieved his desired monster from his deck, the Witch hologram vanished in a burst of blue smoke, and from that smoke there arose a blue-skinned creature wrapped in cloak and armor of a color as dark as the void.

Monica mentally shook her head at the monster he'd just summoned. _That monster's a diversion. His trump is the monster he just pulled from his deck, it has to be._

"My turn's finished," he announced. "Make your move. Something tells me it's going to be your last one."

_Probably_, she conceded. _He mentioned before that attacking Life Points despite monsters on my field wasn't a problem, as long as one knows how to do it. So it's likely that the monster he pulled can attack my Life Points directly; he just couldn't play it because he'd already summoned Patrician. And that gives me the advantage I need to win._

She drew her next card – and grinned. _Perfect!_ "I play my own Monster Reborn," she declared, "and I'm reviving my Hyozanryu in attack mode."

He raised an eyebrow. She scoffed. _No doubt he's thinking there're more powerful monsters in both our graveyards... "Why would she pick that one?"_

"I like to have my favorite monster out when I'm about to win," she explained, answering the unasked question.

"Aren't you quite the confident one."

"I've got reason to be. Now I flip my face-down monster, Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000), to attack mode!"

Her Red-Eyes was much the same color as Patrician's armor – black as space, and the monster looked about as merciless. Its eyes blazed bright neon, and its growl – indeed, its mere presence on the field – was all Monica needed to assure herself that it could get the job done.

"And now it's time to win," she said. "Red-Eyes, attack his Patrician of Darkness!"

Cameron snickered. "Not quite. Patrician has a special effect, too; as long as he's face-up on my field, I can switch your attacks to any monster I please. Patrician, redirect her dragon's attack to Spirit Reaper."

A blood-red sphere of energy pulsed from Red-Eyes' mouth and ejected at Patrician – but then was surrounded by a ghostly blue glow as Cameron's larger monster gave the sphere a new target. Cameron's smile widened. "Too bad, but it looks like your attack is going to be for nothing."

"Not exactly," Monica responded calmly. "I'm not quite as dumb as you might think me to be; I already knew about Patrician's special effect, and was, as a matter of fact, counting on it."

"Is that so?"

"It is. And let me show you why." She reached out to her m/t field and flipped over the card she'd placed last turn. "The activation of your monster's effect is enough to trigger my trap card, Dragon's Rage. So now, whenever my dragons attack a monster on your field, you lose Life Points even if the attacked monster is in defense mode. Observe."

The sphere slammed into Spirit Reaper, which held its ground as per its effect – but as the smoke cleared from the attack, Cameron's Life Point counters descended from their mountainous 3600 to a much lower 1400.

Cameron's eyes widened.

_Ah-ha, now we see some loss of control._ Monica was hardly finished. "Now, Hyozanryu, attack Patrician of Darkness."

This time, he apparently chose not to redirect the attack... in fact, he seemed to have a hard time even saying anything at all. He had a "deer-caught-in-the-headlights" look as Hyozanryu streaked across the arena and impaled Patrician upon its horn, leaving his Life Points to fall again, now to 1300.

"And we can't forget Blue-Eyes, now, can we?" She smiled. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Spirit Reaper and finish this game up."

The glow of Blue-Eyes' attack was blinding. Monica rejoiced in it as the attack came blasting from its maw, engulfing his Spirit Reaper completely.

It would survive the attack.

But his Life Points wouldn't.

When the light faded, Monica's joys proved to be well-founded – his Life Point counters had descended to the rock-bottom number of zero.

_Well_, she mused, _not so much a number as a condition._ The end result was the same.

She'd won.

Cameron finally managed to get rid of his surprised expression, instead shaking his head and chuckling to himself as he gathered his deck's various pieces in resignation. He and Monica both lowered their platforms and met each other around the side of the arena.

"That was an impressive match," he said, his voice sincere. "It's been a while since I've been defeated. You're a worthy opponent. Congratulations."

"Thanks, but I'd feel a lot better about the win if I had the spoils to prove I won," she said.

"Ah, yes, of course. Here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the two double-thick card protectors. "They're yours."

Her eyes glittered as she took the two protectors and stared admiringly at the cards within. _Gate Guardian and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, two of the rarest, most powerful Duel Monsters known to the game... and I have them both in my hand!_

She looked back up at Cameron, who was again chuckling to himself. She could just barely hear his muttering. _"Oh, if only she knew I had a Gate Guardian in my hand..."_

She raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." He offered a smile, something that apparently came easily to him. "I've got something else I need us both to sign. Here..." He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

She rolled her eyes. "Not yet _another_ sheet of toilet paper to sign."

"No, hardly. This signifies there was a winner and that the loser bears witness to that." He glanced up at her as he signed the sheet. "With both the winner and the loser announcing the same winner, they'll have no choice but to accept it at our word."

"What'll they do when you go back without a win?" she inquired, inspecting the paper in its totality before applying her signature.

He snorted. "Pay me less. I did what I was supposed to do, but not what I was supposed to do. It was a job, nothing more. I performed to the best of my ability, but I'm not giving them the results they want, so there'll be some financial punishment. But I can handle it. Always have." He seemed to strike on an afterthought. "Oh, by the way... that turn would have been your last, whether you won it or not. I drew Nightmare Horse with Witch's effect."

Monica's mind rummaged for the stats on that monster. _Nightmare Horse. Zombie-Type that can attack Life Points even if I have monsters on the field. Attack power of 500._ She nodded in appreciation. "You're a good duelist. Maybe I'll see you at the next big tourney?"

"Just maybe," he responded, nodding. He folded up the paper and then stuffed it in his pocket. "In the meantime, have a good one."

And with that, he turned to the hallway and left the arena.

"Yeah," she muttered, continuing to stare at her new acquisitions. "I think I will."

--

Two Days Later

--

There was a knock at the door.

Kyle didn't answer. He was fast asleep on the couch, in a position that looked less than comfortable – he'd shifted his way into that position over a period of about three hours. Ever since his duel with Jade, he'd been tired all the time, just wanting to sleep and eat and occasionally write. It was the ultimate lethargy of brooding depression.

The knocking became more insistent. _"Kyle? C'mon, I know you're in there, open the door."_

Theoris stirred. **_Kyle. Wake up. Monica is here to see you._**

Does she really need to see me right now? Kyle thought, even as he began to awaken from his dreamless sleep.

**_Apparently she does._**

How unreasonable of her.

It is not even time for supper yet and you are asleep. It is you who are sleeping at an unreasonable time.

It's called an afternoon nap.

This has gone beyond a "nap", Kyle. You continue to let your failure against Jade dictate your actions. It is disturbing. If this was "simply a game" to you, why do you let it trouble you so?

Because I know better now. It isn't just a game, not anymore. Nevertheless, Kyle stirred and groaned. "All right," he said, "I'll be there in a sec."

_"Well, hurry up, would you? I want to talk to you."_

He rolled off the couch and onto the floor – _oh, yeah, this is a vast improvement_ – and put on the nearest shirt to have been discarded in that area. Then he slowly got to his feet and trudged to the door.

Upon opening it, even Kyle couldn't ignore that she seemed glowingly happy about something or other. He blinked. "Hi."

"Hey. You took your sweet time."

"I didn't have to open the door."

"Aw, c'mon, how can you resist me?" She smirked. "So lemme in already."

Kyle stepped aside, and Monica swept through the door, her glowing expression seeming to brighten the apartment by a considerable degree. Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Mind if I ask why you're here?"

"Just figured I'd shoot the breeze with you," she answered nonchalantly, and she flopped down on the couch.

"There's no breeze in here."

"I know. How do you stand the heat? Turn up the air conditioner, for Godsakes."

"Monica…"

Her eyes hardened at the tone of Kyle's voice. "Look," she said, "if you think I'm going to just sit here and watch you keep digging this hole for yourself, you're freaking crazy. I don't know what's happened to you or why you've sunk like this. I'd have thought you'd be on top of the world still, with the Madison tourney and all that. Now I come back to hear that you haven't wanted to duel _anybody_ who's challenged you to one. Surely losing a couple duels isn't the root of the problem."

"It could be."

"Then you're a rather sad individual," she remarked, "because there's more to life than just Duel Monsters."

"An argument could be made for that case," he responded.

"Kyle… take your head out of your ass for a second and look around, would you? There's a lot more to experience if you'd just take the time to find it."

"Like?"

"Well, friendship, for one." She stood up and moved toward him. "We're friends, right?"

"Last I checked."

"And friends do favors for each other, right?"

"That's what I hear."

"You did a huge favor for me. You gave me a gift I didn't think I could repay. Remember?"

He nodded. "The second Blue-Eyes."

"Well, I didn't _think_ I could repay it. But fortune has a way of helping me out."

With that, she reached into her purse and pulled out a double-thick plastic Duel Monsters card protector, then held it out to him. "I want you to have this."

A crease split his brow, but he nevertheless took the protector and inspected the card inside.

His eyes widened and he looked back up at Monica. "How did you get this?"

"Same way you got Blue-Eyes. I earned it. Now…" She reached out and took hold of his arm. "I want you to get out there and start dueling again. If dueling got you into a funk, it's probably the key in getting you out. And after that, I want to see you at the dance that's coming up."

He blinked. "The dance? Why would I go there?"

"Because you need to have a broader range of experience. And you need some time to relax and have fun. Dances are great events to just relieve tension and have a good time."

"Ehh…" He sighed. "We'll see about that. But I _will_ start dueling again… I owe that much."

She shook her head. "No, you don't owe me anything. Gate Guardian is the same rarity as Blue-Eyes, only three copies exist. I've returned the previous favor, now I'm asking you a favor of my own."

"Then I'll do it."

"Good. What about the dance?"

"That may be pushing it. Let me start dueling first and then we'll see."

"Fair enough." She smiled. "I'm still proud of you, Kyle… but don't take that to mean I won't give you a kick in the ass when you need it."

He gave her a wry look. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

--

The next day, Kyle arranged a small Duel Monsters tournament at the park for the following Sunday, with a prize of $100 out of his Madison tourney spoils going to the winner.

No cash exchanged hands that Sunday.


	47. Shall We Dance?

_A/N: Well, ladies and gentlemen, you have officially lived to see the day. Believe it or not – and I'm sure many of you don't want to – this is the last chapter of **Intertwined Fates**. One could consider it along the lines of a season finale: it leaves question marks and it's inconveniently cut-off (due in part to the realization that continuing to add chapters to a story that boasts 45 already isn't necessarily attractive to new readers, should they want to get in on it)._

And in keeping with the season finale analogy, just because **Fates** is ending doesn't mean that I'm stopping the entire storyline. No, no, this story's too good for that, and I'd never do that to you or myself. There **will** be a sequel, to come out quite soon. So you'll see plenty more plot development, new characters, new storylines... and new duels! Yup, I've got the whole thing already set up and just about ready to go. So hang on to your hats! Thanks to all who took the time to read (and review)! And many, many kudos to Ankhutenshi, who's been an inspiration and a huge help all the way through!

Lumen: I'm given to understand there's quite a bit of shock value in Monica's duel with Cameron; I'm glad you enjoyed it. Meantime, you may not get to see all of that happen in this chapter, but it's a good bet you'll see plenty of the action you're looking for in the upcoming sequel. Keep an eye out!

Voakands: I had to try pretty hard to get the result I wanted for that duel. I had the decks constructed and played them against each other at least three times (recording each and every move made) before finally getting the desired effect. So it's good to know you appreciated it.

Mira: The entire story's probably going to feel slightly cut off, but there isn't really a better place to end it in the near future. And Cam's got his own problems at the moment, so he doesn't really feel the need to add to other people's problems outside of the dueling arena... straightforward and honest, very un-Bones-like.

Eusine: Yeah, who'd have thought? 200 reviews! I guess this story's getting popular. Too bad it has to end on that, though! And when it's this close to the 50th chapter, too. Still, you'll have the upcoming sequel to read (and hopefully review). In the meantime, take a look at the parting chapter and let me know what you think!

--

Last Week of August

--

Kyle was deep in the throes of studying for the upcoming History exam. He'd always tried to study every day, even if his parents had never known it. Even back then, he knew it would have done him no good to do badly in a class and have to take it over again – and meanwhile have to hear about it from his parents.

Of course, that last was hardly a concern now, but it was more an attempt to make himself proud of his own accomplishments. Besides, his teachers had recently expressed their concern over how his grades had been steadily sinking. He hadn't even felt inspired to do his schoolwork lately, even after Monica's return and unexpected gift.

He still hadn't told her Sanga was no longer his.

He didn't want to bear trying to say it out loud. To do that, he'd have to admit to failing in being that crucial part of Zack's plan to keep it away from the one person he didn't believe deserved it.

Kyle sighed. When it came down to it, he was doing all this studying in order to avoid the outer world altogether. He didn't really want to have the time to think about anything else at the moment, because recent events had become so mind-boggling as to make him slightly queasy, just taking in the sheer scope.

Madison. Shadi. Jade. Monica. Sanga. Suijin. Gate Guardian.

Way too much to think about.

Nevertheless, as he finished his History studies for the evening, his gaze flickered to the card that he'd yet to remove from the protective coverings Monica had given it to him in. _Gate Guardian. Level 11. Dark Attribute, Warrior-Type, Effect Monster. "This card can only be Special Summoned by offering "Sanga of the Thunder", "Kazejin", and "Suijin" on your side of the Field as a Tribute." (3750/3400)_

_Doesn't do me much good, of course. I don't have Sanga or Kazejin._

**Is the fact that it is a gift from Monica not enough for you, Kyle? I believe you should enjoy it for what it is... not for what it can and cannot do for you. You cannot simple "use" such a gift. You must admire and appreciate it.**

_I suppose you're right._ Kyle rocked his head to one side as he inspected the card. _Look at that – each of the Labyrinth Brothers is a part of Gate Guardian: Suijin as the legs, Kazejin as the midsection, Sanga as the torso. Each pretty appropriate, if you think about it long enough._

**Perhaps you should not dwell on it and move on to something else.**

Probably right. Kyle shifted his gaze away from the card and to his Health book instead. He flipped open to Chapter 13 and read a few lines of text.

**_That was not quite what I meant._**

Oh?

The dance is tonight, Kyle.

Mm. Kyle continued to read.

**_Will you not go, despite Monica's request that you do so?_**

I don't want to. My last time at a dance wasn't a pleasant experience.

**You are not now the person you were then.**

I know. But I still don't want to go.

**It sounded as if Monica would be present. Would that not ease your anxiety?**

Doubtful. I think I'm just going to study and then take a nap.

**And what of eating?**

Mmm... I'll call out for pizza.

--

Two Hours Later

--

There was a knock at the door. Kyle mumbled something, got up from his couch, and went to answer. _Someone would have had to come while I'm sleeping..._

When he swung the door open wide, he almost had an inclination to shut it again... not out of rudeness, but rather, out of embarrassment.

"Oh!" Monica laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..."

Kyle suddenly felt quite exposed; he was wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and the pendant-sized Millennium Shield. He shook his head. "No, you didn't wake me, but I sure feel stupid now. You coming in?"

She took the hint and stepped through the door, which Kyle then quickly closed. He went over to his dresser and grabbed a random T-shirt out of the middle drawer.

"I guess you really weren't planning on coming to the dance," she said behind him.

He pulled the T-shirt over his head. "Not much reason for me to. No date, no money, no social life."

"You've got Chubs."

Kyle scoffed. "No, thanks, our relationship is purely platonic at this point."

Monica giggled. Kyle also smiled as he turned around–

He blinked. He hadn't really noticed Monica's outfit in his state of undress, but now that he was at least decently attired, he _looked _at her.

Monica was wearing a strapless black dress that flowed down to her ankles and hugged her shapely form in all the right places. Her dark hair was tied back into a single, thick braid that extended down to the middle of her back. She smiled and cocked her head at him. "What?"

"Uh... uhm..." Kyle shook his head. "Wow. You look beautiful."

**_You only noticed this now, Kyle?_**

Her grin became a shy one, and her ears turned slightly pink. "Thank you. But getting back to the subject at hand... why not come to the dance? You'd have a good time."

He scoffed and sat down at his computer desk. "So sure of that."

"Of course! I'd be there." She grinned. "And don't tell me you don't know how to dance. I know better. It's in the way you walk; there's a sort of graceful bounce to it that only one who knows how to dance would have. Besides, everyone knows the two-step."

Kyle blinked. "Don't you have a date? What about that Clint guy that was ogling you?"

She wrinkled her nose. "You seriously think I'd go with some buck-toothed pervert like him? You've got to be out of your mind."

A small smile flitted across his features as he spared a glance at his computer, which had a search engine constantly on the lookout for other available Labyrinth Brothers – _still nothing, of course._

Monica caught the smile. "I know that look, Kyle. You're thinking something evil. About time; I was wondering when the old Kyle McCraine we all knew and knew to hate would come back." She rocked her head to the other side. "So spill it."

He shrugged, choosing not to let the teasing barb affect him. "Once was a time you'd have gone with any idiot just to tick your mom off."

"Except yourself, of course," she responded nonchalantly.

"Which just goes to show how much you've changed. Otherwise you wouldn't even be asking me, would you?"

This time, Monica blushed hotly. "You think I'm asking you to be my date?"

"The tone in your voice suggests otherwise, so I'll drop the issue," Kyle responded calmly. "I just want to know why you want me to come."

She sighed; the red in her face lessened. "Would it kill you, for once in your life, to come to a social function? You say I've changed. On the outside, you look like you have, too." She crossed her arms. "But what good is looking the part if you can't play it?"

"Look, last time I went to something like that, I got mocked and jeered at. Forgive me, but I'm not feeling particularly inclined to go through that again."

"You got mocked and jeered at because you were an ass," she stated flatly, "and, quite frankly, had it coming, the way you treated some of those kids."

"You think I mocked and jeered at you for any reason other than that same one?" Kyle scoffed. "You weren't exactly an ideal model for posterity."

"No, I wasn't, thank you for pointing that out," she huffed. "And, as you've noticed, I've changed. Otherwise I wouldn't have stayed around here this long. Wouldn't even be asking you to come. Now it's your turn to follow through. So, please... will you come to the dance?"

He released a heavy sigh. "Sheesh... if any girl out there knows how to guilt-trip me, it's you. Lemme get dressed."

She giggled and clapped her hands like a child receiving a cookie for doing something good.

--

Within ten minutes, Kyle had taken a shower and gotten on appropriate attire for the occasion: a black dress shirt with burgundy tie, a dark sport coat, and black pants and shoes to match. Monica made the remark that she thought he looked rather handsome in the outfit, which only served to make him roll his eyes.

Kyle's ride to the dance was his motorcycle, as usual. Monica had sniffed at his offer to take her there, instead opting for her car. "No offense, Kyle, but I'd prefer to survive if I have an accident."

He'd shrugged. "Okay, meet you there, then."

As expected, the parking lot in front of the auditorium was full, as were the streets for perhaps a half-block radius. Kyle and Monica found decent parking spots despite that, and ended up at the door together.

Julian Hart, a classmate of theirs, was waiting there, collecting admission fees. He smiled up at them. "Hey, guys. How's going?"

"Pretty well," Monica answered. She turned to Kyle. "Go on and give him his well-deserved cash."

Kyle rolled his eyes as he handed over the admission fees for both of them. "Yes, master."

"Good boy. You're definitely getting a milk bone tonight," she grinned.

Julian laughed. "I thought you didn't have a date, Monica."

"Kyle's not my date, he's just decent company," she responded.

"If you say so," Julian shrugged, shuffling the money into his cash box. "You two make sure to have a good time in there. Most other people are."

"We'll see what we can do," she said. "C'mon Kyle, let's go enjoy ourselves."

The auditorium was more than large enough to contain all the people that had gathered here. Kyle felt uneasy about being in the midst of all these people, but Monica quietly assured him that nobody would make a big deal of it. "They're too busy having a good time with themselves. So just suck it in and enjoy yourself. If nothing else, let's go get something to drink."

He was willing to do that, at least. They sauntered over to the drinks table and noted (with some bemusement) that among the punch and soda, someone had put a few beer bottles. Kyle picked up a soda while Monica ladled some punch into a cup.

She offered him a wry grin. "You know that sooner or later, you're going to have to get out there and dance."

"I know no such thing," he grunted, sipping at his soda.

"Yeah, right. That's why I brought you here. I'm not gonna let you just traipse off without getting on the floor. You're gonna go through the entire experience, and you're gonna enjoy yourself."

"Sure, I will. Soon as those horns retract and a halo rises up over your head."

"Ouch, that huuurt," she whined. "Hurry up and finish your soda. Feels like they're gonna do a couple of slow-dancing numbers soon and I want to make sure I have my fun."

"Then go find some guy to dance with and have your fun," he answered. "Don't rush me just 'cause _you_ want to have a good time."

She put her drink on the table and planted her hands on her hips. "I want to have a good time, yeah. But think about it, Kyle. Is there any girl here you'd be more comfortable with than me?"

"Why are you so concerned with me having a good time? I didn't even want to be here."

"I know. And I plan to prove that you can enjoy yourself at occasions like this if you at least try to."

He sighed. "Okay, okay." He chugged his soda.

She grinned. "That's more like it. Just don't belch on the floor or I'll leave you there to dance by yourself."

He snorted as he finished off his drink. "Any recycling bin nearby?"

"Yeah, right over there," she said, pointing.

"Ah. Thanks." Kyle tossed his can into the bin and then rejoined Monica at the drink table.

"They're about to start a slow song. Let's get out there," she said. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the dance floor.

--

Half an hour had passed, and Kyle couldn't help but continue to feel self-conscious on the floor. At least no one had shone the spotlight on him and Monica; that would have been the height of embarrassment.

He mumbled something about it – albeit a more polite version – to her. She just smiled. "C'mon, Kyle. You know you'd make every guy here jealous."

He felt slightly better upon hearing this; a smile couldn't help but creep across his face as they stepped gracefully across the floor.

It felt right, what they were doing. And it felt almost natural, to boot.  
As if they belonged like this.

**_Perhaps it was meant to happen._**

What?

**Your attendance of this event. Your dancing with Monica. Imagine how different it would be were you still your old self... had you not the Millennium Shield.**

Kyle felt himself getting ready to argue with Theoris over the issues of fate, when suddenly the corner of his eye spotted a familiar face.

He cursed under his breath.

She was sitting more or less with her back to the corner, which gave her a view of the rest of the room. It might have been coincidental, but given her history, it wasn't likely. Instead, the position looked rather... predatory.

_She's got great timing. Just when I was about to start enjoying myself._

**Do not lie to me, Kyle, you are enjoying yourself. She can – and will – wait. You are here at Monica's request, and she is enjoying your company. Do not trouble yourself before you need to.**

Kyle inclined his head slightly, his way of subtly nodding to Theoris, and continued to dance with Monica until the music faded. It was only at that point that Kyle realized her head was lying on his chest, her arms looped about his waist, the rocking motion of her stance almost automatic... it was as if she'd fallen asleep on him.

He smiled slightly at her. "Hey, down there, the song's finished."

She sighed. Kyle entertained the thought that it was of disappointment. "It is, at that." She pulled her head up, looked up at him, smiled, and released her hold on him. "I'm thirsty. I'll be back before too long."

"Okay. Stay away from the booze," Kyle advised. She gave him a wry look in response as she made her way to the punch table.

He glanced back at the table where _she_ was situated.

As he watched, she smiled, rose, and made her way across the floor towards him. She was wearing a mid-length, dark red dress, and she had her hair down. "Well... good evening."

"Evening." He eyed her warily. "Fancy seeing you here. Somehow I was under the impression you weren't much for dressy occasions."

"Not true," she countered. "I meld, I blend. I fit in everywhere. This is no exception. I don't suppose you'd care to dance?" She smirked.

He pursed his lips. "In this case, I'd have to ask after your definition of the word. Shall I assume you're not necessarily referring to the floor?"

"I can be referring to whatever you want," she responded, being purposely vague. "You looked quite comfortable out here–" She gestured to the dancing couples around them. "–only a few moments earlier. In that big a hurry to leave?"

He crossed his arms. "You may be able to blend in just fine, but I'm not usually one to attend social functions. My friend wanted me to make an exception, though, so I did. Doesn't mean this place doesn't make me want to have a mental breakdown just to excuse myself from it."

"Liar," she said candidly. "The fact that you're here proves that you at least are willing to put up with some... discomfort... for your 'friend'." She glanced back at the punch table. "Who, might I point out, also looked quite comfortable. Very comfortable indeed," she added.

"Think what you want," he responded flatly, "and lust after my cards all you want, but my personal relationships are none of your business."

Jade pouted up at him. "Don't be like that, Kyle."

It was at that moment that Monica found her way back to Kyle's side, carrying two plastic cups. "Hey, Kyle, they're about to start – oh..."

Her eyes had shifted from Kyle and landed on Jade.

She looked between the two for several moments, and instantly, Kyle wanted to at least try to explain what was going on... maybe the scowl on his face – which had been aimed at Jade – might give her the benefit of the doubt...

But no. Instead, she was looking at Jade's pouting expression.

"Um," she said, smiling awkwardly. "I guess you found someone to dance with after all, huh?"

Kyle stuttered unintelligibly, unable to get even the first letter of her name out.

"It's okay, Kyle. I'll just go wring some poor guy's neck. Y'know, to piss Mom off."

She turned and made her way through the throng. Kyle couldn't track her.

Jade watched Monica move off through the crowd, and when the other girl had disappeared, she turned to look up at Kyle. "You know, I do believe that your date might have gotten the wrong impression about us," she said, feigning thoughtfulness. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Oops."

Kyle growled and shoved an accusatory finger in Jade's face. "You... you are a damned inconvenience, that's what you are."

Unperturbed, she smiled at him sweetly. "No name-calling, now. We both know that's not how you think of me. Besides, now that you're not shackled to her side for the rest of the night, you can leave if you want. You should be thanking me."

He glared. "I would thank you if you would get the hell out of my hair. You've done enough to me already." He shoved his way past her and made for the nearest exit.

She let him get out of the hall and into the lobby. "Kyle," she called after him, "you know you have something I want. Why are you running away?"

He twisted around. "You took Sanga from me, that's why. I won't let you take anything else. And if that means running away, fine."

"No, you _lost_ Sanga to me. Don't make me out to be a thief in this, Kyle. I _took_ nothing from you," she corrected him angrily. "You put up your Brother the same as I put up mine. And after one loss you're going to go slinking back to your tiny local tournaments and risk-free friendly duels, is that it?"

"It took a lot for me to get that card, Jade," he responded. "And if you're as observant as you claim to be, you know that already. What if the tables were turned, and I had won Kazejin from you? What would you have done?"

"But you didn't, so there's no point in thinking 'what ifs'," she responded. "You can't duel if you're only sure you're guaranteed a win. You can't expect me to stop, not when I'm this close, Kyle."

"You're only halfway there, and there are other sets. What makes me so special that you find fit to hunt me down?"

"Does a lioness go for the strongest antelope, or the one foolish enough to wander away from the herd?"

At this, Kyle glanced around the mostly empty lobby; the vast majority of the attendees were back in the auditorium. He scoffed. "Nice. So now I'm just a convenient idiot who accidentally happened on something of value?"

"I challenge you to a duel, Kyle," Jade said quietly. "So now it's formal. You can still run away... but I guarantee that word will get around."

Kyle felt his blood run cold upon those words, and he suddenly found himself quite unable to come up with any sort of response. A lump developed in his throat, and he turned away from her.

He stepped through the nearest exit. He stopped after a few paces into the chilly night breeze.

Looked back through the doorway, back at Jade... saw her green eyes flashing.

Beckoned to her.

She followed him out the door at his gesture, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"What are your stakes?" he asked.

"One of _my_ Labyrinth Brothers," she said, emphasizing the 'my' on purpose, "to your Suijin and Guardian."

"How do you figure I have Gate Guardian?"

She scowled. "Please don't insult my intelligence; I'm not that daft. Since you can't get it on the field, you've been using it as tribute fodder for your assorted ritual monsters. Now, as I was saying, one of my Brothers versus Suijin and Guardian."

"You drive a hard bargain."

She smiled sweetly at him again. "You're welcome to turn it down," she said.

"One card against two? Why not both Brothers?"

"Because if I win Suijin, then Guardian is useless to you," Jade answered. "If all the Brothers are in my deck, what possible use could you have for their combined form card?"

"Chosen One. Reasoning," Kyle answered, in reference to magic cards capable of summoning monsters without the need for tribute.

Jade frowned. "Those are dirty tricks. You asked what my stakes were and I told you. Now you're just wasting my time. Do you accept my challenge, or are you going to run?"

She crossed her arms, waiting for Kyle's answer.

-------

Thus ends **Intertwined Fates**.

But not the story.

To be continued in **Imperiled Future**...


End file.
